


To Unravel The Night

by KitsMits



Category: Naruto
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Canon, Canon Divergent, Drama, F/M, Fuinjutsu, Gen, Multi, Politics, Slow Romance, Uzushiogakure | Hidden Eddy Village, eventually, long fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-03
Updated: 2020-03-24
Packaged: 2020-04-07 00:57:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 24
Words: 191,428
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19074235
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KitsMits/pseuds/KitsMits
Summary: The Kyuubi attack left Kaiya orphaned with no identity. Now a Leaf Shinobi, it seems she's found her place - but all is upended when an old love returns, threatening all she holds dear. Caught in a web of murder, betrayal, and manipulation, she questions her values, her village, even herself, all the while fighting to make a better world. OC x Canons. Alternate Canon.





	1. Fuumaki Kaiya!

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor do I intend any commercial gain from the writing of this fanfiction. This story is purely for fun and writing practice.

   
_Hiruzen looked out over the village as its surviving citizens worked to repair what they could. It had been a long two weeks since the Kyuubi's attack; bodies were still being recovered from the rubble, and many were impossible to identify. Burial rights would have to wait; people needed housing, trade had to be reestablished so there wouldn’t be a food shortage, and missions had to resume before other villages could suspect any weakness. The Third War had only ended a little over a year ago and international relations were hardly stable. Hiruzen had taken up the Hokage’s mantle once more, a familiar face to a distraught people…but he wondered just how much longer he could do this. His own wife, such a pillar of strength during his previous reign, was gone, taken during the attack; Minato and Kushina, the hope of the village, the ones who should have brought them into a new era of peace…gone.  
   
How much more loss could the village take? How much could he take? As Hokage, he couldn't show his grief publicly; the people needed him to be strong, to lead them once again. He would do it so long as he was needed.  
   
But to lead everyone to believe that not just the Fourth and his wife, but their child had perished as well…when that child was very much alive…  
   
Behind him, the click of a cane made another presence known. “It is for the best, Hiruzen. You know this. For the Jinchuriki’s safety, this is how it must be.”  
   
“I know, Danzo,” Hiruzen all but growled, his patience with his old friend wearing thin. He needed Danzo and the other Councilors, now more than ever; his ability to see clearly in the chaos of tragedy was something Hiruzen himself struggled with even after all these years. However, the man’s cold logic always felt out-of-place in times of grief.    
   
Danzo came and stood beside him at the window, which afforded a view of the hospital in particular. “Is that the group?”  
   
The people he spoke of were just leaving the hospital now: a woman in a habit carrying a rudimentary basinet led a small group of children from the main entry. This was the latest batch of orphans to be cleared by the medics for the trek to the orphanage, the new home for the few who had no other relatives to take them in.  
   
Unlike the other groups that went before them, this one was unknowingly escorted by a few masked Shinobi who followed from the shadows. When the blond baby began to cry, then shriek, the ninja tensed, their hands hovering near their weapons. Hiruzen held his breath; next to him, Danzo's visible eye narrowed. Both watched with baited breath for whether the baby's fit might become something more.  
   
Then, one of the other children darted forward. It was a girl; her jacket's hood fell back as she stopped next to the basket and reached her small arms inside, revealing a head of bright crimson hair. She softly rubbed the baby's tummy, unaware of the many eyes on both of them, until the boy quieted.  
   
Danzo turned and left as the situation diffused on its own, but Hiruzen’s eyes softened at the sight. Perhaps…perhaps everything would turn out well, after all._  
   


~*~

  
   
The Third Hokage looked over the scrolls placed in front of him, then back up at the team that brought them in. The three-person squad was clearly exhausted, though they each stood at attention.  
   
"You three did extremely well," Sarutobi Hiruzen said, addressing the team. "You completed the mission sooner than expected, without alerting any other interested parties. Go rest - you’ve earned it!"  
   
The three shinobi smiled and bowed their heads. Hiruzen watched as they filed out, their postures already relaxing. Date Gorou, Kusato Hikaru, Fuumaki Kaiya - they were shaping up to be the village's best reconnaissance team outside of Anbu. Gorou was a strong multiform fighter; Hikaru had an excellent mind for strategy and was adept at illusory and deception techniques; and Kaiya was fast and skilled with seal- and code-breaking. Together, the three of them were quick, efficient, and thorough.  
   
They were also only in their late teens and had just come off of a month-long mission in a sparsely populated region, and as they left, their respectful posture and demeanor melted away to their more natural dispositions.  
   
"Damn, it's good to be home!" Gorou, the tallest of the three, said as he stretched his muscular arms overhead. He let out a big yawn, closing hazel eyes and mussing his spiky, olive-green hair.  
   
Hikaru wrinkled his nose, his deep, plum-colored eyes drooping under light brown bangs. Several centimeters shorter than Gorou, he was also slimmer and less muscular. He adjusted the hem of his sleeves, pulling at an errant thread that had come loose, making a mental note to patch the otherwise pristine lavender shirt when he got home. "Close your mouth, you'll attract flies with that breath of yours.”  
   
"Oh, blow me, pretty boy."  
   
"No, thank you."  
   
"Why? Afraid you'd fall for me?" Gorou said with a teasing grin.  
   
Kaiya groaned and had to restrain herself from slapping them each upside the head. "Oy! Give a rest."  
   
Gorou gave a low whistle. "Someone's tetchy! What's up, Kaiya-chan?" He reached over to ruffle her crimson hair, but she caught his wrist before he could.   
   
"I've been traveling with you bickering idiots for over a month and I'm ready to knock your heads together! I'm tired, hungry, and dying for a bath, so please," she said, pushing Gorou's other hand away as it reached toward her head, "shut up and stop touching my hair!"  
   
"I'm not actually touching your hair."  
   
"And I'm pretty sure I'm not an idiot," Hikaru added. "Gorou, on the other hand..."  
   
Gorou grinned widely and threw his arms around his teammates' shoulders. "Eh, you both love me. You know it."  
   
Kaiya rolled her eyes, but grinned nonetheless. Even Hikaru smirked as he shrugged Gorou's arm away. The three had been a team since their Genin days; teasing and sarcastic insults were simply part of their everyday banter. They agreed to meet for dinner and went their separate ways, though after a few steps, Hikaru stopped and called back to his female teammate.  
   
 "Kaiya! Did you want this?" He pulled out a small, wrapped item from his pack.  
   
"Oh - thanks! I almost forgot." She sprinted back and took the minute package from him. Hikaru had been holding it for her since a point in the mission when she'd had to squeeze through a very small corridor, requiring her to remove her jacket and packs.  
   
"Who's this one for?"  
   
"Naruto," she replied, placing the item in her own pack.  
   
"The noisy, blond boy?" He raised his eyebrows. "Wasn't the last one for him too?"  
   
Kaiya brushed a crimson lock over her shoulder. "Mm - but I think he's graduating from the Academy soon, so I thought I'd get him something special." She glanced at Hikaru, who had a "I don't want to say something" sort of look, prompting her to raise a brow in inquiry. "What?"  
   
He shrugged. "You just seem to...favor him sometimes. I thought you tried to be fair with souvenirs."  
   
She smiled. "Yeah...But I dunno, there's just something about him. I know most of the village thinks he's just a troublemaker...but they don't know what it's like to grow up like he did."  
   
"Like you did, too."  
   
She shook her head. "It's different. I mean, it's not like being an orphan gets you a golden ticket anywhere, but Naruto…some of the villagers are just plain vicious, while others ignore him when he's right in front of them."  
   
"Sorry - I didn't mean to bring up..."  
   
"No, it's okay," Kaiya said, waving him off. "I'm just kinda tired. See you later for hotpot?"  
   
He nodded and she turned back down the street. The buildings grew gradually less uniform as she went; tin roofs replaced shingles and chipped paint became commonplace.  Women aired wet laundry from their windows, shouting across the narrow alleyways to each other with the latest gossip. A ball rolled into her path and Kaiya easily kicked it back toward a group of kids without breaking stride. After a few more turns and a quick climb up a metal stairway, she was passing her door with its rusty hinges and faded apartment number. There was someone she wanted to see before settling in for a quick nap.  
   
Two doors down from her own apartment, she rapped her knuckles but refrained from announcing herself. He should have been out of school by now; Kaiya bit back a smile as she imagined his surprise when he opened the door. Whenever she came back from long missions, he would jump on her, demanding to know every detail but barely letting her get a word out before informing her of the goings-on at the Academy. He was an irrepressible ball of energy, exhausting and annoying to some, but Kaiya loved him for it.  
   
No answer. Kaiya knocked again and checked the time. Was school still in session, or had he gotten in trouble yet again? With a sigh, she decided to check around more after getting a shower and short nap.  
   
"Tadaima," Kaiya called into the empty studio as she kicked off her shoes. It was a bit dusty from her absence, but still as neat as she’d left it. The studio was cozy, certainly one of the smallest units in the building, but she didn’t mind; it had been her home since she moved from the orphanage on the outskirts of the village to join the Academy. She'd give it a proper clean tomorrow; for now she went straight to her shower. Once clean of the road's grime, she collapsed into bed, savoring the softness of her mattress.  
   
Before closing her eyes, Kaiya grabbed her pack and took out the small gift she'd gotten for Naruto. Unwrapping its protective paper, she held the item between her index fingers and thumbs of both hands: a small, lacquered wooden frog, ornately carved and painted bright orange and black, smooth except for a nick in the side. She'd found it at the market of a small town two days out from Konoha and had gotten a good deal on it for the nick.  
   
Something about the little frog reminded her of Naruto - his cheeky grin, colorful outbursts, that habit he had of squatting everywhere. She'd started bringing souvenirs from her traveling missions a few years back, cycling through the younger children she'd grown up with as something to remind them that someone was thinking about them, and not just as a village burden. She didn't have much money and only recently started earning a significant amount from her missions, so she stuck with finding or buying one small item per mission for a different child each time.  
   
Kaiya hoped that Naruto would like it. Although she didn't want to admit it, she did tend to favor him. As she drifted to sleep, her mind turned to some of her earliest surviving memories - a crying infant with tufts of blond hair, quieting as she hummed, staring at her with eyes as blue as her own...  
   


~*~

  
   
“Iruka-sensei!” Kaiya waved in greeting to the tan-skinned, ponytailed teacher in the yard.  
   
He brightened and waved back. “Hey, Kaiya-chan! Good to see you! Looking for Naruto?”  
   
“That predictable, huh?” Kaiya tucked a lock of hair behind her ear self-consciously. “He’s not at home - I wanted to make sure he was doing okay.”  
   
Iruka laughed. “You really have been gone a while this time, haven’t you? Well, I’m sure he’d rather have told you himself, but…he graduated this time!”  
   
Kaiya’s eyes widened and a slow, joyous smile spread across her face. “Seriously? I mean, I knew he would - eventually - but still! So is he on a mission now? Who’s his squad leader?”  
   
Iruka held up his hands at her rapid-fire questions. “Whoa, whoa - there’s a lot to update you on, I guess! C’mon - can I treat you to a bite to eat? I’ll catch you up on everything.”  
   
“Only if I can treat you.”  
   
“Not an option!”  
   


~*~

  
   
“He learned Kagebunshin from a scroll?” Kaiya had to keep her voice down in the tea shop, but she couldn’t keep the incredulity from her tone. The standard clone jutsu had always been one of Naruto’s worst, but the Shadow Clone jutsu was normally a forbidden technique for anyone below Jonin rank! It required a deep well of chakra and enough control to not spread oneself too thin, lest they deplete their reserves to lethal levels.  
   
Iruka nodded, pride evident in his whole face. “Mm! And you should’ve seen him, Kaiya-chan - he made dozens of clones! Mizuki didn’t stand a chance!”  
   
Mizuki. The Academy teacher who’d tried to use Naruto to steal the forbidden scroll in the first place. Kaiya was glad he was already in jail; if he’d somehow gotten away, she’d have been hard-pressed to not want to hunt him down personally. He’d taken advantage of Naruto’s need to prove himself, his loneliness…things that made her heart hurt to even think about. If she’d been there for the last month while Naruto was struggling…would he have fallen for Mizuki’s ploy?  
   
Iruka saw her face fall. “Kaiya-chan, don’t blame yourself for not being there. You have missions - Naruto knows that, too. And everything turned out okay in the end.”  
   
Kaiya nodded and gave him a smile. “Yeah…you’re right. I’m glad you were there, though…and hey, thank you for always being there for Naruto, Iruka-sensei.”  
   
A light blush spread across Iruka’s scarred nose and he rubbed the back of his head. “You know, you don’t have to call me ‘sensei,’ Kaiya-chan! I never actually taught you or anything!”  
   
“Old habit, I guess!”  
   
“So…” Iruka swirled his tea pensively. “Any luck lately on the parent front?”  
   
Kaiya sighed. This was an old search for her; she remembered nothing about her parents and only had her name, ‘Fuumaki,’ to go on. “Nope…I kinda stopped looking a while ago, to be honest. Sandaime-sama told me they were probably civilian refugees who died in…well, in that attack, which is why there’s no record of them. A lot of people on that block died, so there aren't even neighbors to ask about them.”  
   
Iruka’s gaze lowered in sympathy. “Sorry, Kaiya-chan…I miss my parents too, but…” He trailed off. He missed them, but at least he still had his memories of them.  
   
Kaiya just waved him off. “No worries. So - that’s what happened just after I left…how’s Naruto been doing since then? Did he get assigned a team?”  
   
Iruka hesitated, looking like there was something else he wanted to say. It was in how he paused, how his eyes shifted briefly to the side - but before Kaiya could inquire about it, he again grinned and nodded. “Yeah, he’s on a team. They’re actually on their first away mission now…”  
   


~*~

  
   
Kaiya rolled up her second scroll for the week and rubbed her eyes. Her limbs were getting fidgety from sitting for so long, and it was such a beautiful day out... She strolled out of her apartment, intent on returning the scroll and getting some kunai training in before meeting her teammates for dinner. Hikaru was cooking for them this time, which was never something to be missed.  
   
As she locked her door, she looked down the hallway toward the apartment two doors away. Naruto was still away on his first C-rank mission. Iruka had finished catching her up on recent events - becoming part of a squad along with Uchiha Sasuke, passing their initial Genin team test, their first handful of D-rank missions. She'd laughed when she heard that both boys complained about how easy their missions were - it certainly sounded like them.  
   
I hope they're both all right, she thought, hopping over the railing and skipping the stairs entirely. She didn't get far into the village before a familiar voice stopped her in her tracks.  
   
"Kaiya-nee-chaaaaan!"  
   
Kaiya looked up, her face automatically brightening. There was one person in the village proper who called her that with such exuberance, and his spiky blond head was bouncing toward her now.   
   
"Naruto - welcome back!" Kaiya ruffled his hair when he came bounding to a stop. "Hey, I heard you actually graduated!"  
   
Naruto made a comically offended face and pointed accusingly at her. "Eh, what's with the surprise?! Of course I graduated! AND - Kaiya-nee-chan, you won't believe this-" he took on a victorious stance - "I just completed an A-RANK mission, ya know!"  
   
"What?!" That couldn't be right - he was only a Genin! Just what had his instructor signed them up for?!  
   
"Oy, baka - stop bragging to everyone on the street."  
   
Kaiya looked up to see that the rest of the team had caught up. It was the dark-haired boy who caught her attention first: Uchiha Sasuke, the last surviving member of the famed Uchiha Clan. It had been a while since Kaiya had seen the kid up close, and he seemed - if it was possible - even more serious. She gave him a warm smile. "Sasuke - good to see you back!"  
   
He just averted his eyes and huffed moodily. Kaiya bit back a sigh and turned her attention to the other two. One was a pink-haired girl Kaiya only vaguely recognized; perhaps this was the same one she'd heard Naruto talk about before? The girl only had eyes for Sasuke, though. Next to her was their sensei, a tall, silver-haired man with most of his face covered by a mask. Hatake Kakashi, the legendary Copy-Nin - they hadn't spoken before, but Kaiya knew him by reputation. The man had his nose buried in a book, and a questionable one at that; he hadn't even looked up yet. Kaiya frowned and stalked up to him, pulling the book down so he'd be forced to make eye contact.  
   
"What's this I heard about a Genin team going on an A-rank mission?" she demanded.  
   
Kakashi blinked his solitary eye at her but gave no answer. His expression was nearly unreadable thanks to the mask, and his eye gave nothing away as he stared down at her. At first, the way he looked at her made her uncomfortable, as though that one dark eye was picking her apart like a puzzle…but soon, annoyance began to set in at his silence.   
   
"Well…" The pinkette beside him spoke up. "It wasn't actually supposed to be an A-rank mission, see…we all thought it was C-rank. By the time we realized, it was a little late to come back, so Kakashi-sensei agreed that we should finish it." With every word she spoke, the pinkette grew more confident. "And you should've seen the state that village in the Land of Waves was in! They needed our help, but couldn't afford it-"  
   
"Sakura." Kakashi snapped his book shut. "No need to explain. I'm going to write up the report - you three, go home."  
   
"Ne, ne, Kaiya-nee-chan!" Naruto tugged at her jacket. "Can we go get Ichiraku? I'll tell ya all about the bridge they're naming after me, ya know!"  
   
"Can you go one minute without mentioning that, dobe?" Sasuke shot, crossing his arms.  
   
Naruto whirled around and grabbed Sasuke by the collar. "Teme-! Just 'cause you were out cold for most of the fight-"  
   
"What was that?!"  
   
Naruto and Sasuke locked themselves in a glare-off, holding each other by the collars and positively growling until they were pulled apart by the backs of their shirts.  
   
"Jeez," Kaiya sighed, an amused smile playing on her lips as she let go of the two boys. "I guess some things never change. Now why don't you two be gentlemen and introduce me to your teammate?"  
   
A few paces away, Kakashi, who'd opted to walk rather than poof away, glanced back over his shoulder to see Sakura hit Naruto over the head after he declared her to be his girlfriend. His keen eyes took in the boys' body language around the redhead: Naruto was completely at ease, even affectionate toward her, while Sasuke clearly knew her but perhaps didn't want to admit to it. Then he took in the redhead herself: Crimson hair fell midway down her back, the top layer pulled back with a clip, leaving two chin-length locks to frame her fair-skinned face. Her bright blue eyes twinkled in amusement at the boys' obvious rivalry. She didn't wear standard Shinobi garb; instead, she had a grey jacket with rolled-up sleeves over a fitted, dark peach tunic and black, calf-length leggings. She was left-handed, going by the location of her leg pack, but a wide utility belt slung around her waist had pockets primarily on the right side - ambidextrous, perhaps. Her Konoha plate was sewn onto the belt.  
   
Naruto asked again about getting ramen, but Kaiya smiled apologetically and knocked on the top of his head. "Sorry, Naruto - I'll have to take a raincheck. I have to return this and meet my own team. Later though, 'kay?"  
   
She looked up then as the distinct feeling of being watched made the hair on the back of her neck stand up - but where the Copy-Nin had stood just a second before, there was no one.  
   


~*~

  
   
Kaiya rapped her knuckles lightly on Naruto's door later that night, wondering if he'd still be up. He was usually pretty good about getting to bed at a reasonable hour, unlike her; she'd always had a sort of buzzing energy that sometimes made it hard to keep normal hours.  
   
When he answered, he was already in his pajamas, but any sign of sleepiness evaporated once he saw her. "Kaiya-nee-chan! Whatcha doin' here?"  
   
"I have something for you," she said. "Mind if I come in?"  
   
"Mm!"  
   
When she gave Naruto the little frog, he thanked her and put it with his small collection she'd contributed to over the years. Then something odd happened: rather than try to chat her ear off like he'd wanted to earlier, his small shoulders drooped and his face become strangely solemn. "Kaiya-nee-chan…there's something I gotta ask you."  
   
Even his usual verbal tick was gone for the moment, and that had Kaiya worried. "What's up?"  
   
"Well…you know that Mizuki guy? From the Academy?”  
   
Kaiya nodded. "Iruka-sensei told me what happened. He used you to get that scroll…Naruto, I'm sorry I wasn't-"  
   
"No, no, that's not what…" Naruto shook his head. "He…he told me somethin' about how the Fourth Hokage died…about a demon fox…"  
   
Kaiya looked down at the table. She was familiar with the tale, as was most of the village, though it was forbidden to speak of it; she'd learned of it directly from the Hokage a few years ago after he'd caught her sneaking into the records office to learn more about her own family. The night she'd lost her parents, a demon fox, some sort of freakish supernatural phenomenon, had attacked the village; nearly half the Shinobi population and many civilians lost their lives that night. The Fourth Hokage managed to defeat the creature, but at the cost of his own life.  
   
As for Naruto…she'd heard rumors among the villagers since then. It was always in whispers, but sometimes she heard older generations speak of Naruto as though he was the demon fox. Sure, he'd been born on the same day, but how did that mean anything? "Naruto, you had nothing to do with that!"  
   
Fists formed at his sides. "But…I did. That demon fox…the Fourth Hokage sealed it inside of me."  
   
"Who told you that?" Kaiya demanded. "Mizuki? Those are just rumors-"  
   
"So you knew, too?" His voice was strangely quiet, but it silenced Kaiya like a whiplash.  
   
"Naruto," she pleaded, reaching out to take his shoulder. "I never believed those stupid rumors for a second. You shouldn't either-"  
   
"They aren't rumors, ya know!" He jerked away from her touch, his voice shaking. "Iruka-sensei told me so, and on the last mission…I…I felt it…this weird power in me…"  
   
Iruka had told him? Kaiya knew Iruka well enough to assume that he wouldn't lie about something like this, at least not knowingly or maliciously. But the idea that the infamous Kyuubi, the cause of that tragedy almost thirteen years ago, was in Naruto…that, she couldn't quite wrap her head around.  
   
What she could understand was that right now, Naruto looked ready to either lash out or run away - both were reactions he had when people assumed the worst of him. Kaiya knelt and engulfed him in a hug before his young mind could spiral into doubt and anger.  
   
"Naruto…listen to me. I don't care if you have a demon fox, a ghost, a freakin' seven-headed toad or anything else sealed in you. You're Naruto, and that's all that matters to me, okay?"  
   
Tears of relief sprang to Naruto's eyes; she felt them fall into her shoulder as he hesitantly leaned into her embrace. "It's just…I know that's how you lost your family, you know…"  
   
"Well, you're my family now," she replied, holding him tighter as her own eyes prickled sympathetically. "Don't you forget it. Now, I’m gonna get to the bottom of this, okay? I’ll talk to the Hokage if I have to, and to your sensei, and see what’s really going on. We’ll figure this out.”  
   
Naruto, his eyes already drying, grinned and nodded. “Right!”  
   


~*~

  
   
Kakashi sat at his desk and opened a file he'd procured from the records office. With his rank and his previous time in Anbu, it hadn't been difficult to find or take out, though he did so in secret, not wanting to answer any awkward questions about his interest. It was rare for the Copy-Nin to be curious about anyone, and he certainly didn't want to draw attention to this particular curiosity.  
   
 _Name: Fuumaki Kaiya  
Rank: Chunin  
Birthdate: November 28  
Blood Type: B_  
   
She'd be turning eighteen this fall, and there was a note about being evaluated for Jonin promotion. Strengths included speed, stamina, and code- and barrier-breaking; weak points were mainly genjutsu and general chakra sensing. Pretty decent with hand-to-hand and melee, but better with defensive and evasive maneuvers - fitting for someone who primarily dealt with intel and reconnaissance missions. Dozens of B-rank and the very occasional A-rank missions recently, mostly focused on recovering sensitive items or gathering preliminary information on people or places, all done with her originally assigned squad. Teammates were Date Gorou, fifth son of a family known for its physical skills, and Kusato Hikaru, only son and heir to the Kusato Corporation, the largest metal weapons manufacturer in the Land of Fire. He'd been the squad's leader since their teacher, Yoshida Yuuma, had been killed…in the Uchiha massacre?  
   
Kakashi blinked. He remembered all too well that particular incident - but there'd been a non-Uchiha killed there, too? That should have been more noteworthy, yet as close as Kakashi was to the incident, even he hadn't known about it.  
   
A soft knock on his door jolted Kakashi from the file. Who on earth was at his door this late in the evening? Not Guy, surely - the man wouldn't be nearly so subtle in announcing himself.  
   
Another knock - with a sigh, Kakashi pushed himself out of his chair and answered, only to find the very person he'd been reading about standing outside. She looked like she'd just been about to turn around and leave when he opened the door. "Oh! You're here!"  
   
"K - Fuumaki-san?"  
   
Kaiya tucked a crimson lock behind her ear and smiled sheepishly up at him. "Hey…uhm…Hatake-san -"  
   
"You can call me Kakashi," he said automatically, then wondered why he had.  
   
"Kakashi-san…" She tested the name on her tongue before straightening. "I wanted to apologize for before. I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions about the way you lead Naruto's team. It's just…well, I've kinda looked after him for years now - we're both from the orphanage - so I guess I was pretty shocked to hear about the A-rank mission and all."  
   
Kakashi blinked. "How'd you get my address?"  
   
Kaiya smiled innocently. "I have my ways." Kakashi stared at her, unblinking, until she caved. "Relax! My teammate's brother's wife's sister-in-law works at the records office. I asked. Wasn't sure how else to get in touch, and I don't like leaving things like this hanging, you know?"  
   
"It's nothing." He started to back away and close the door, but she stuck her foot into the door jam before he could.  
   
"Wait! That's not all I came for," she admitted. "But I'd rather not talk out here - can I come in?"  
   
Kakashi fixed her with another calculating stare. If anything, he looked like the last thing he wanted to do was invite her in; Kaiya knew it was forward of her to ask, but she didn't see any other way around it.   
   
"What is this about?"  
   
Kaiya kept her foot in the door jam. "Naruto…his power."  
   
Something flitted across Kakashi’s face, though with most of it covered in the mask, Kaiya barely caught it before it passed. He stepped aside. "Come in."  
   
Kaiya's shoulders loosened in relief as she stepped past him into the small apartment and kicked off her shoes politely. "I won't stay long, I just didn't want to talk out there, you know?"  
   
Kakashi said nothing, just crossed his arms and looked at her expectantly.  
   
Geez, not one for visitors, I guess, she thought, suppressing her urge to look around the apartment to gather information on him. It was such a second-nature impulse to her that it was a struggle to keep her eyes solely on him. "So…Naruto told me about the Kyuubi being inside of him."  
   
"He really shouldn't have."  
   
"So it's true, then?" Kaiya pressed, taking a step closer. "The Kyuubi…it's actually inside Naruto? Yondaime sealed it in him when he was just a baby?"  
   
Kakashi closed his eyes in exasperation at falling into such an obvious verbal trap. She hadn't known for sure about the Kyuubi being in Naruto, but he'd inadvertently confirmed it for her. "How do you know about the Kyuubi in the first place?"  
   
"Told ya, I have my ways," Kaiya retorted. Her face softened. "Look…I know you don't know me, but I've known Naruto since he was a baby. I just want to help him. He…he said he felt what the thinks was the Fox's chakra on the mission; that doesn't sound like something that's supposed to happen with a seal."  
   
Kakashi sighed. "I appreciate your concern, but Sandaime-sama has been informed of the leak. He assured me that it's a perfectly normal part of the seal that Yondaime-sama used."  
   
"What seal?" Kaiya asked, eyes shining with curiosity. "What was used? Is there anything on it-"  
   
"Not for a Chunin," he said, holding his hand up to stop her. "It's nothing for you to worry about-"  
   
"It is if it has to do with Naruto! Look, I've been studying Fuinjutsu for a while-"  
   
"It's an incredibly advanced technique," he interrupted again. "So keep studying."  
   
"That's -" Kaiya stopped. "Wait…what?"  
   
"I said," Kakashi restated, "keep studying Fuinjutsu. I saw the scrolls you were carrying earlier; if they're any indication, you're on your way. As for Naruto - the Hokage is perfectly aware of the state of his seal; what he needs right now is to learn to control his chakra, and that is what I intend to work with him on. Now, was there anything else, or can I go to bed?"  
   
Kaiya shook her head.  
   
Kakashi took her shoulders, turned her around, and opened the door. "Then good night."  
   
She was pushed out into the hallway and the door shut before she could protest. "Well, excuse me for trying to help," Kaiya muttered as she made her way out of the building.  
   


~*~

**End Notes**

**Meet Fuumaki Kaiya!**  

* 17 years old
* Chunin rank, up for Jonin promotion
* orphaned during the Kyuubi attack with no memory of her family
* looks after Naruto and, to an extent, Sasuke

And welcome to **To Unravel the Night**! This first arc is largely based on canon events, though we’ll see serious divergence from that later on.

Reviews are love, and I try to answer every one of them!

 **NEXT TIME:** A new project brings Kaiya to Kakashi’s door again…we’ll see what sort of relationship she has with Sasuke…and get a look at her skills in action.

**Stay Tuned!**


	2. Of Kunai and Copy-Nins

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Important note about canon vs non-canon: **There is no Kaguya in To Unravel the Night.** As such, I came up with some different explanations for things like chakra, as well as a whole new history for the Shinobi world that we'll gradually see as we go. Keep that in mind when reading this.

~*~

 

The forest flew by in a blur of greens and browns; the sun dappled the dirt path under her feet and warmed her shoulders in uneven intervals amidst the cool shade. Distance running wasn’t just a training exercise for Kaiya; it was almost a form of moving meditation. With her heart racing and muscles in steady, swift motion, her mind became clear and expansive. It was her favorite way to deal with new projects or problems, and today, it helped clear the clutter in her brain from the recent revelation of Naruto housing a nine-tailed fox demon.

 

Kaiya hadn’t expected to find any information on the Kyuubi in the library, though she’d looked anyway, just in case; her clearance only allowed her into certain parts of the village archives for jutsu and sensitive information, so for now, her search had turned up nothing. She debated just going to the Hokage himself and asking; perhaps after her run today, she would do just that. Might as well go to the source.

 

She took a sharp turn at a fork in the path, curious to try a route she hadn’t been on yet. The forests around Konoha were dense and even with all the runs she went on, Kaiya knew there were many nooks she had yet to see. After a few kilometers, she came across a strange sight: a crater, right in the middle of the forest. It was the size of a small lake and must have been made years ago, going by the regrowth of plant life. Had there been a battle here? The hair on the back of her neck stood at attention; the air seemed to hum with some faint energy, as though an echo of whatever happened here remained. It made Kaiya shiver, though the air was warm.

 

Then she saw it: the morning light glinted off something about a meter away, something metallic. Kaiya crouched down and picked the item out of the overgrown brush: it was…a kunai? Not like any standard-issue kunai, though; it was heavier, with two curved prongs on either side of the main blade. The handle was wrapped in cloth, or had been - only about half of the cloth remained, the rest of it having been burnt off. There was something written on that cloth, too… _no…ken_? Kaiya blinked. Sword of…what?

 

An idea struck her. Kanji was sometimes used to condense a sealing formula - a Fuinjutsu. The formula would be embedded within the strokes - something only high-level users of the craft were capable of. Kaiya could do it with simple formulas, but the more complex the jutsu, the more difficult it was to manage. She did know how to make such formulas visible, though.

 

_Fuinjutsu: Revelation!_

 

With a simple series of hand signs, Kaiya watched as the kanji glowed blue with chakra threads. Those threads formed tiny symbols and tendrils within the strokes of ink - a truly intricate jutsu was laid on this kunai! Kaiya recognized most of the symbols, though she could tell she’d need a magnifying glass to see them all. Balancing agents, elements of Wind and Lightning indicating some sort of movement-enhancing purpose…

 

Wait. Lightning - Thunder…Could this really be…

 

_Hiraishin…the Flying Thunder God jutsu?_

 

Her teacher had once told her of this technique, created by the Second Hokage and further developed by the Fourth. Yuuma-sensei had suggested that it might be something she could learn as a Jonin, given her naturally fast reflexes and mind for seals. Normally, such a jutsu would be highly restricted, not just to keep it from enemy hands but because it was extremely dangerous to learn. There was a reason that Hiraishin was the only known jutsu besides Kuchiyose that could safely transport a human being.

 

All things, living and not, had chakra. If atoms were the building blocks of physical matter, then chakra was the energy that held it all together. Complex beings like humans and animals developed unique signatures and wavelengths upon conception which morphed as environmental and genetic factors took their tolls. Thus, by the time a human reached adulthood, their chakra was unique among living things, distinguishable from other animals and even other people.

 

That chakra also fluctuated constantly, even without the person’s awareness. This was less so for inanimate, nonliving objects. Teleportation jutsu involved breaking down an object’s matter, dismantling its chakra threads and condensing it so that it could slip through a pocket of space and time to land in another location. Some theories even suggested that the teleportation process involving opening a temporary portal to another dimension that intersected this one, thus providing a direct ‘bridge’ to the chosen location.

 

An anchor of some sort decided where that was; for Kuchiyose, the anchor was the summoner’s own blood and chakra. The more chakra given to the jutsu, the more complex the creature that could be summoned. Humans could be the target as well, though it worked best when they were relatively stagnant when the summoning came through.

 

However, Kuchiyose involved one person acting as the catalyst and another, the target, much liked one person holding a door for another. With Hiraishin, a single person was both the catalyst and the target, responsible for both opening the door and moving through it - a door that would only open for a fraction of a second while he or she actively condensed and reformed their own chakra. It required a significant amount of energy to perform and extreme control to execute; anything less than absolute precision could have lethal results.

 

This was why only two people were ever known to have mastered Hiraishin in its truest form - and why Kaiya felt both a rush of excitement and a shiver of fear at the prospect of doing so herself.

 

If her hunch was right, she was holding the _Fourth Hokage’s_ kunai with _his_ marking seal! Sure, it was incomplete, but Kaiya was no stranger to Space-Time formulas. The field had fascinated her since she was a Genin and had just starting to dismantle her first seals. Maybe, with time and careful research, she could fill in the blanks and decipher the jutsu on her own…no. Messing with Space-Time ninjutsu, especially one like this, could lead to disaster if handled poorly. She wasn’t dumb enough to assume she’d make no mistakes. She didn’t want to present the kunai to the village officials just yet, either; they’d probably confiscate it, and besides, she didn’t want to advertise that she was trying to learn this. Was there someone else who could help? Neither Hikaru nor Gorou were much for Space-Time or Fuinjutsu…if she could get her hands on an intact kunai, that would be ideal, but those kind of weapons were usually locked away in confidential archives with Hokage-level clearance or kept by family members or students-

 

Students…she did know of one student of the Fourth Hokage - the only one still living, for that matter. Hatake Kakashi…The thought of asking him for help on this wasn’t her first choice, given the chilly reception she’d gotten from him last time, but if he could help…

 

~*~

 

Sasuke wiped some sweat from his brow. He was a little out of breath, but that wasn’t about to stop him; he still had the chakra for a few more rounds, he was sure of it! Closing his eyes, he slowed his breathing and focused on bringing his chakra to his stomach. A few quick hand signs, a deep breath in, heat the chakra as it came out with his exhale -

 

_Katon: Gokyaku no jutsu!_

 

Flames ripped from his lips and formed a blazing ball that shot across the field, traveling several meters before stalling. Sasuke blew harder, trying to push the Great Fireball further, trying to give it more chakra, make it stronger, larger, more potent. In his mind, there was a figure standing just beyond the flames' reach, a face filled with cold contempt, eyes dark and empty of anything resembling humanity.

 

_Come on…come on!_

 

The fire went out, leaving Sasuke panting and doubled over. Not enough…it still wasn't enough! He looked up to see the apparition of _that person_ fade away with the last of the flames, untouched by their scorching heat.

 

_Not ENOUGH!_

 

"You've really mastered that one, haven't you, Sasuke?"

 

Sasuke whirled around to see a familiar redhead walking toward him, placing something in her side pack. He bit back a groan and narrowed his eyes. "What do you want?"

 

She rolled her eyes. "'Well hello there Kaiya, how nice to see you, and thank you for the compliment!' Is a polite greeting really so much to ask for?"

 

Sasuke replied in a flat voice, "Hello, Kaiya. Nice to see you. So what do you want?"

 

"Your enthusiasm is astounding," Kaiya responded sarcastically, sitting on a tree stump nearby. "So how've you been? I don't think we’ve really talked since before graduation."

 

"Fine."

 

"Getting along with your teammates?"

 

He clicked his tongue. "Naruto's obnoxious. Sakura is clingy. Kakashi is holding me back."

 

"From what, exactly?"

 

Sasuke glared at her, annoyance sparking in his chest. "Don't play dumb - you know from what!"

 

She met his glare with her own calm gaze. "Did you ever consider that maybe they can _help_?"

 

"How could they?!" Sasuke turned away, but her question did make him briefly consider each of his teammates. "Okay, I'll admit Naruto isn't as hopeless as he looks, and Sakura means well, but there's no way they'd be able to do anything against…" He didn't say the name. "And even if they could, I don't _want_ their help!"

 

Kaiya sighed. "Not quite what I meant by help," she muttered. "You might not want to hear it, but there _is_ more to life than revenge."

 

"Not for me," Sasuke stated. "Maybe _you_ can just live like none of it happened-"

 

"That's not how it is," she replied in a tight voice.

 

"Really?!" He whirled back around with a wide-eyed glare. "'Cuz from where I stand, you've done _nothing_ about it! No one's done _anything_ about it!"

 

"You think I've been doing _nothing_?" Kaiya shot back. Her fingers clenched at the tree stump, turning her knuckles white; she was obviously holding her tongue from saying anything more.

 

Sasuke felt some of the rage in his chest die down until it became like embers, still hot but subdued. Maybe it wasn't right of him to accuse Kaiya of doing nothing. _She_ didn't lose her entire clan that night; she couldn't possibly know what that was like. It wasn't her responsibility to avenge their deaths. 

 

But she _had_ been the one who found him that night, the one who’d stayed with him in the weeks that followed, the one who handled the paperwork and taught him how to live on his own: how to cook for himself, buy groceries, do laundry. She had patiently seen him through that period of weakness and neediness until he could fend for himself. For that, at the very least, he should give her credit.

 

Sasuke's jaw clenched, but he tried to make his voice a _little_ more civil. "I'll kill him one day, Kaiya. Even if the village won't do anything, _I will."_

 

He didn't turn around, didn’t see the sadness and regret in her blue eyes, didn't see how her face fell in frustration before she took a deep breath and looked back up at him. He did hear what she said next, and as much as he wished it wasn't so, it did give him a modicum of comfort.

 

"You know my door is always open to you, Sasuke."

 

He didn't turn back around, but he did feel some of the tension ease from his shoulders. "I know."

 

~*~

 

It wasn’t long before Kaiya caved and returned to the Copy-Nin's doorstep. When he opened up, she braced herself and started talking.

 

"This isn't about Naruto," she assured him, hands up placatingly. "I'm actually here to ask a favor."

 

She was met with a blank stare, but he didn't try to shut the door on her. That was an improvement.

 

"So…" Kaiya tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "You were the Fourth Hokage's student, right?"

 

Had he transformed into a statue? He must have, for he barely moved a muscle. Kaiya wondered if he was even breathing.

 

"Sorry if that's…well, personal," she apologized. "And I do understand what it's like to lose your mentor…"

 

"What's the favor?"

 

Kaiya looked up in surprise and refocused before he changed his mind and retreated to his room. "Right. Well…is there anything you know about his signature jutsu, Hiraishin?"

 

Kakashi blinked in surprise. "I never learned it."

 

"But you trained under him," Kaiya insisted, eyes imploring. "And everyone says you're a genius - well…" She dug into her belt pack and produced the three-pronged kunai. "I found this about ten kilometers outside the village - it's one of his, isn't it? It has an inscription on the hilt…but if you look here, it's burnt up pretty badly, so the formula's incomplete…"

 

Kakashi didn't take the kunai from her, but he did look at it intently, a fleeting emotion passing through his eye. It was gone before she could identify it, but she could imagine that being presented with something of his old sensei's would be nostalgic at the least. For her, it certainly would be. "Where did you…"

 

"In the forest outside the village," Kaiya repeated impatiently. "It was near a crater of some sort - must've been a battle or something. But look - I can try  to fill in the blanks myself, but if I get even one symbol wrong, the jutsu either won't work or will…well, according to Space-Time theory, it could mean losing a limb or something. Anyway…you were the Fourth's student…I was wondering if you might be able to help me figure it out."

 

"You're trying to learn Hiraishin?"

 

She gave him a look that said, _Haven't you been listening?_ "Well, yeah! I mean, jutsu like this you either have to learn from someone else or figure out yourself, right? That’s the whole point behind a ‘secret’ jutsu - it’s not known on a wide scale so that there's less chance of it getting into enemy hands. And I doubt that even if there _is_ a scroll about it, they'd let a Chunin have it…besides, I kinda want to figure it out on my own, you know? See how it works from scratch, then if I want to make any changes, I can!"

 

Kaiya fought the urge to bite her lip or touch her hair again, her heart pounding as she awaited his answer. She mentally begged him to agree - she was sure she could learn this jutsu, and asking for help wasn't something she was thrilled about! She just needed a nudge in the right direction…but the longer he remained silent, the less hopeful she became, so she presented the next tactic she'd prepared.

 

"Look…if this is about me still being a Chunin, then let me show you why that shouldn't matter," she said. "How about a spar?"

 

Again, Kakashi blinked in surprise. "Excuse me?"

 

"A spar," Kaiya repeated. "We'll take over one of the training fields for an hour or so and I'll show you why you shouldn't let my rank get in the way of this. If I win, you'll work with me on the Hiraishin formula!"

 

Kakashi stared at her from a single, heavy-lidded eye. Finally, he answered. "Two days. Training field three. Seven a.m."

 

Kaiya lit up with excitement. "Right! Got it! See you then-"

 

The door shut before she finished speaking, but Kaiya was practically bouncing on her toes in spite of the rude departure. That had gone better than she'd hoped; not only was she sure to get Kakashi's help on Hiraishin, she'd finally be able to test out another project she'd been working on.

 

He didn't have to know about the latter though, she thought with a sly smile.

 

~*~

 

Being inside the Hokage Mansion always made Kaiya stand a little straighter, a little stiffer. The few times she'd been here on her own usually involved attempting to infiltrate restricted archive rooms; without her teammates at her side, she felt a little like she was visiting the Academy principal's office, except that she'd come here voluntarily.

 

Just getting an appointment to speak with the Hokage officially had been trying. The Chunin Exams were being held in Konoha soon, and they promised to be the highest-attended in years; the preparations kept the Hokage's appointment book packed. Kaiya wondered if it wouldn't have been easier to just run into the man by accident - that had worked in the past.

 

Finally, the door to his office opened and Kaiya was called in. The early afternoon sun shone warmly through the many windows of the large room, giving it an open and airy feeling - a feeling that was quickly crushed when she realized that the two Elders, Koharu and Homura, were also present. Kaiya had…experience with the Elders from years ago that to this day left a sour taste in her mouth. Even if it weren't for that particular incident, she always had the sense that they looked down on her in some way, that they didn't expect much from her. She had no concrete evidence to support this theory though, so for the most part, Kaiya simply avoided being in their presence when possible.

 

Today, it seemed, it wasn't possible.

 

"Ah, Kaiya," greeted the Hokage, speaking around his pipe as he finished studying a form in his hand. "Come in. Close the door." She did. "I take it this is about Naruto and the fox demon sealed within him?"

 

Kaiya blinked in surprise, her brows rising to her hairline. The reason she'd used for getting in to see the Hokage had nothing to do with the Kyuubi; she knew better than to say such things directly. So how did he know…?

 

Sandaime gave her a knowing smile. "Iruka informed me that Naruto might talk to you about it."

 

_Iruka, you rat!_ There was little malice in the thought, just annoyance at having been talked about at all. "…Yes. I wanted to confirm that it is, indeed, true-"

 

"It is."

 

Kaiya swallowed. She all but knew it was, but having the Hokage confirm that yes, Naruto was housing a demon fox spirit…it made the knowledge all the more real. "Why wasn't he told?"

 

Homura scoffed. "Why wasn't a twelve-year-old who barely made it to Genin and regularly pulls obscene pranks told that he holds a powerful spirit?"

 

Kaiya narrowed her eyes but bit her tongue and focused on the Hokage. “Forgive me for speaking out of turn, Hokage-sama, but wouldn’t knowing what he carried have been more helpful? He’s never had an issue before-“

 

“Because he was never pushed,” interrupted Koharu. ”He will be now that he is a Genin.”

 

Kaiya’s jaw tightened. “But just knowing what it was might’ve saved him a lot of grief and allowed him to train properly.”

 

“Are you questioning your Hokage?”

 

“I’m asking for answers,” she replied as evenly as she could. It was getting harder to hold back any biting retorts to the Elders, and it frustrated her that the Hokage simply stood by silently during all of this. Did he have nothing to say?

 

“Your role as Chunin is to carry out orders and trust your superiors to do the rest,” stated Koharu. “We have handled that boy since his birth-“

 

“Naruto,” Kaiya ground out before she could stop herself.

 

“And we know what we are doing,” finished the female elder. “This is not up for discussion!”

 

The two elders turned away, clearly believing they were finished.

 

“Well, I’ve looked out for him practically since his birth,” Kaiya responded, ignoring the obviously implied dismissal. “I’ve been there for the nightmares. I’m the one who cleaned up his cuts and bruises from fights he got in. I’m the one who made sure he got groceries when shopkeepers ignored him and left him hungry! Other than our allowances, I never see any of you-“

 

“That’s enough, Kaiya.” The Hokage finally spoke, taking his pipe from his mouth and turning toward her. “That is enough. We all are aware of how you’ve helped Naruto over the years, and from the bottom of my heart, I am grateful.”

 

Kaiya couldn’t help but note that he purposely said _I_ instead of _we_ in that statement. Her eyes flicked to the elders, who looked distinctly put-out by her outburst but kept quiet for their Hokage.

 

“He knows now,” continued the Hokage. “It was not in the way I would have preferred, but he knows now and so do you. It was kept a secret in order to prevent any sort of information leak.”

 

Kaiya’s brow furrowed. Sure, it made sense that Konoha wouldn’t want to advertise that one of their children housed a demon spirit - it could make Naruto a target for other nations who would want to use him as a weapon. ”Wait…why was it sealed in _him_? Why a baby? Why is it still there?”

 

The Elders each opened their mouths, but the Hokage silenced them with a gesture. “No, she deserves some explanation. As she said, she has a close relationship with young Naruto.”

 

The Elders closed their mouths tightly and looked away.

 

The Hokage went around his desk and sat down. “The Kyuubi cannot be taken from Naruto without also taking his life - that is the first thing you need to know.”

 

The news sank in Kaiya's chest like a rock in a river. She'd hoped that there might be some way to relieve him of that burden, was even ready to ask that she be allowed to find another way to hold the Kyuubi without having to use Naruto. She'd set up detailed arguments in her head for this very purpose and opportunity…but none of it would matter. He could never be rid of that demon.

 

“Why the Fourth sealed it within Naruto in particular…is difficult to say," continued the Hokage. "However, the jutsu he used was designed to allow a small amount of the Kyuubi’s chakra to mingle with Naruto’s own - it is possible that he intended the boy to use that power someday. To that end, he was brought to the Academy at the proper age so that he could learn to control his own chakra, and has been allowed to proceed to Genin in order to further train."

 

_Brought to the Academy…allowed to proceed…_ The phrases were ominous in her mind, suggestive of dire consequences should anything be amiss. There was a chance that, should these three decide he was becoming too dangerous, Naruto could be removed from the ranks. He'd worked so hard - it wasn't his fault he had a demon sealed inside of him!

 

The Hokage approached her genuflecting form and laid a withered hand on her shoulder. Kaiya looked up to see a smile on his wizened face. "That said, we are all impressed with how far he's come already. I believe him to be in the best possible team for his development, and I, for one, share your high hopes for him."

 

Almost immediately, Kaiya's shoulders sagged in relief. She wasn't the only one who wanted Naruto to succeed - sometimes she needed a reminder of that. Next came shame: She'd doubted her leader. One of the first things she'd learned in the Academy - a lesson drilled into students over and over again in various ways - was to _trust their leader._ Without that trust, missions couldn't happen. In times of crisis, that trust had to be absolute, or chaos would fall.

 

She'd been so caught up in her indignity over Naruto being lied to - over herself being lied to - that she failed to consider the other side of the argument.

 

Kaiya bowed her head. "Thank you for explaining, Hokage-sama. I…I'm sorry to have questioned you."

 

"Bah, you're young, and you aren't the first to do so," he replied with a small laugh. "But listen - Naruto obviously trusts you. I doubt he would have spoken so openly about the Kyuubi otherwise…but please do your best to impress on him why he shouldn't go around telling just anyone."

 

She could do that. "Hai."

 

"Now go on - I'm sure you have better things to do than sit around with three old people!"

 

She suppressed a smile and bowed again before leaving - though part of her couldn't help but feel satisfied by the indignant looks on the Elders' faces as she did.

 

~*~  
 

A candle flickered in the darkened room as its oil burned lower. The soft tap of Shogi pieces on a lacquered board punctuated the stiff silence until the two inhabitants eventually struck up a conversation. Their talks were always tinged with tension, even after five years since their falling out; yet lately, perhaps due to age, that tension felt lessened. Their talks gradually became more like they once were, long before their rivalry had penetrated politics and began affecting other lives.

 

_Tap._ “She’s grown quite insolent, from the sound of things.”

 

“She’s concerned, that’s all. She has her father’s sense of justice.”

 

“And her mother’s loose tongue. You should wait a little longer for her to mature before telling her anything else, old friend.”

 

“Is that so?” _Tap._

 

“You come here when you seek my opinion, do you not? It shows in your choice of conversation. I am simply obliging and offering what I can…as I always have.”

 

A sigh. “I cannot rescind the sentence. What you did…even if no one else in the village knows, I will know. And wouldn’t you usually say that I should stick to a decision once acted upon?”

 

“That I would, and I appreciate that…yet you still come here.”

 

“To see my old friend.”

 

_Tap._ “As you say, Hiruzen. Check.”

 

~*~

 

He was late.

 

Kaiya tapped her foot impatiently and blew a lock of hair from her face. Kakashi had said to meet at seven, but that had passed at least an hour ago. Why was she even still waiting here? After the first twenty minutes, she'd done a few rounds of kunai throwing practice; just about all of her knives were now embedded in the bulls-eye of the targets scattered around the field. With an irritated groan, she gathered them for the third time and started again.

 

_Start from stillness…_

 

Her breathing slowed; her skin tingled with anticipation as the light morning breeze passed over it. She saw in her mind's eye every one of the eleven targets around the field. From here, she could easily make five of them without moving; for the other six, she decided to try hitting them without changing her position. If she put a twist on the sixth, bounced it off the fifth in midair…

 

She felt her heart pound as the exercise grew familiar, but she'd had years of practice in chasing away that reaction. This had nothing to do with _him_ , she reminded herself. Kunai throwing was one of her strong points; it didn't have to do with _him_.

 

Kaiya took a deep breath, then released the first five kunai from a crouch. They thunked as they hit their targets. Leaping into the air, she let lose three more, the extra few feet of altitude letting her clear the obstacles in their paths. Two more were released, followed swiftly by the last, which intercepted the trajectory of the tenth kunai with a clang. Both were thrown on different courses; time seemed to slow as she watched for how they would land.

 

_Thunk! Thun - clack…_

 

"Damnit!" Kaiya muttered. Too much twist on the last one had put it at a bad angle; while it reached its target, it was at a slight angle so that the hilt of the kunai hit the target rather than the point. She growled to herself as she went to gather the kunai yet again, her hand already practicing the failed throw for next time.

 

“Not bad.”

 

Kaiya nearly jumped out of her skin. Whirling around, she found the source of the compliment and felt her cheeks go red. "How long have you been there?!"

 

"Just a minute or two," Kakashi answered, leaning casually against a tree, hands in pockets. "Not bad aim - and not easy targets. Too much twist on the last one, though."

 

Kaiya yanked a kunai out of a target with more force than necessary. "Well, I had to do something to keep busy. What happened to 'seven o'clock?'"

 

"Sorry about that," he apologized, not sounding very sorry at all. "I was lost in my thoughts."

 

Kaiya rolled her eyes at the lame excuse - Naruto had complained about his sensei's constant lateness over ramen the night before, so she supposed she _had_ been warned. "So…ready to start?"

 

"When you are," he answered. 

 

They stood a few meters apart, Kaiya in a fighting stance, Kakashi just standing. She almost rolled her eyes at his nonchalance. He didn't even bother to uncover the eye that gave him one of his nicknames, _Sharingan no Kakashi_. Well, fine - if he wasn't going to take this seriously, she'd just have to show him how big a mistake that was.

 

Once again, she slowed her breathing and became hyper-aware of her surroundings. Then, without any warning, her hands flashed through a short series of seals faster than the eye could follow.

 

_Futon: Wind Tunnel!_

 

Kakashi's eye widened and he braced himself, momentarily blinded by the dust kicked up by the gale that sped toward him. Without his Sharingan uncovered, he hadn’t been able to follow her swift hands and predict the jutsu. It was incredibly strong too, with swirling gusts of razor-sharp air that forced him to jump and dodge before Kaiya herself came down on him. She used the dust cloud to mask her movements, and the cutting nature of the Wind attack to keep him off-balance.

 

Smart.

 

A lifetime of honing his instincts let him block her strikes. He redirected her momentum, but she was ready for that and instead flipped over him, kunai aimed at the small of his back. She made contact, but a puff of smoke revealed a log.

 

_Substitution jutsu..._ She landed and quickly and looked and listened around her. _Where'd he go?_

 

A rustle of leaves caught her attention, and she let loose her kunai. She immediately swore to herself, even before the knife hit its target - she should have known it wouldn't be him. The legendary Copy-Nin wouldn't have made such a careless mistake, and she was a sitting duck in this open field… _Time for phase two, then_.

 

She vanished from sight. Kakashi squinted: he hadn't seen a hand sign this time. She was quick, he gave her that. Her reaction to his feint had been instantaneous, if erroneous, and without his Sharingan, her hands had been blurs as they formed seals. He cast his senses out, trying to pick out any sign of where she had gone. Nothing - she hid herself well. Maybe just a peak with his Sharingan, then…

 

Just as he reached up to uncover the eye, Kaiya dropped from a tree, forcing him to use his arms to block her. She bounced off his arms, then off a trunk, briefly bracing her hand against the bark and using the added momentum to propel herself at him elbow-first. He dodged easily, and she disappeared with a 'poof.'

 

Shadow Clone! So she'd learned that jutsu as well - he vaguely wondered how and when as he scanned the area for the real Kaiya.

 

She came running across the forest floor barely a minute later, shuriken flying. He dodged them easily and tossed her into another tree. Kaiya tried to right herself in mid-air, but wound up crashing anyway. Another 'poof' - another Shadow Clone.

 

Why only attack him with one clone at a time, though? It would make much more sense to ambush him if she could manage the numbers - what was she playing at?

 

Two more clones were suddenly at either side of him, and he caught sight of a kunai on the ground, embedded in a root. It had an inscription - had she already figured the Hiraishin formula out? Each clone ran up a trunk, one in front of him, one behind, and flipped off, their mirrored legs extended toward his skull. He grabbed their ankles and threw them to the ground. _Poof! Poof!_ That just left the real Kaiya...though he was seriously starting to wonder how the girl was up for Jonin promotion when her attacks were more obvious than his own Genin team's.

 

Speaking of the real person - she hadn't shown up yet. The forest was quiet. Kakashi's visible eye narrowed. Were the clones just following each other after the first had found him? He glanced over to the root where he'd found the inscribed kunai - but it was gone. The root had a small nick in it, so it was the right spot; she had to be nearby...

 

Just then, he felt her presence behind him. He parried blow after blow; none of her strikes made contact, but none of his did, either. He'd jab at her, sure of landing a hit, but his hand would go straight through and she'd show up a meter to the side instead. Afterimages…she was moving so fast that he was only seeing the impression she made! He watched her movements as he blocked her strikes, using their timing to predict where she'd come from next. If he was right, then…there!

 

She vanished. No poof, no flash, just gone. Was that Body Flicker? If so, she was on a level that neared the late Uchiha Shisui. Kakashi decided it was time to be a little more serious and uncover his Sharingan.

 

The black-flecked, scarlet eye transformed the world around him, making him shut his normal eye lest the discrepancies give him vertigo. Colors were more nuanced; the air waved with subtle energy, and every bit of motion he saw was suddenly trackable, predictable. He could see the chakra of the squirrels running through the trees and the birds flying overhead like little balls of blue light - and about a hundred meters to the west, he could just pick out a swiftly moving human mass of chakra.

 

_Found you._ Kakashi sped toward the chakra signature, silent and focused, a predator locked onto its prey -

 

…and nearly tripped over a root that definitely hadn’t been in his path a split second ago. He caught himself easily and looked down. Was that the same nicked root he’d started at? His Sharingan told him it was; this whole area was the same one he’d been in seconds before. But how…?

 

He scanned the area with the Sharingan; nothing else seemed out of place. It was the same patch of forest, and - there! This time she was just north of him, moving slowly - probably trying to sneak up on him. Kakashi decided to take advantage of her lack of sensing skills to sneak up on her instead, and darted through the trees to do just that.

 

Within seconds, he was back at that same root. This time, he’d noticed the sudden change in terrain just as it happened; somehow, he’d been brought back to this spot. His eyes narrowed in suspicion as he began theorizing about what was happening.

 

"Oh Kakashiii..." Her voice sang from a tree to his left. He turned, but saw nothing with his Sharingan.

 

"Hey sempai, whatcha doing there?" To his right this time. Did she have to use that annoying sing-song tone?

 

"Boo."

 

He actually started a bit when he felt - not just heard, but _felt_ the actual breath of her voice at his ear. He turned toward her and sighed. "I see you've been experimenting with more than just kunai."

 

She laughed, clutching her stomach. "The look on your face!"

 

"Yeah, yeah..." he crossed his arms. "You used a space-time ninjutsu to create a closed loop of some sort. It had to do not only with the kunai, but with your shadow clones, yes?"

 

She brushed a red lock from her face and nodded. "Sort of - it’s a barrier seal jutsu that has space-time ninjutsu worked in. I’ve been working on it for the past year and a half - want to know how it works?”

 

"Enlighten me."

 

She grinned. "First, I used the Wind Tunnel jutsu to hide that I was making Shadow Clones - four of them, which went in different directions around the field. They kept an eye on you so that when you ran off later, I could follow you. I’m kind of a crap sensor.”

 

“Okay…”

 

“Then, once one found you and was defeated, the others - including me - knew where to go. Of course, there was no guarantee that you’d stay in one spot, so that clone tagged you with a tracking seal.” She reached up and pulled a small paper from the inside of his vest collar. “Got this on you as soon as it dropped from the tree. I’ve gotten pretty good at tagging targets; comes in handy when my team needs to follow someone, though it only works for a limited time and area.” Next she showed him her forearm, where a basic map of the field was drawn. “See the ‘x?’ That’s connected to the tag, which emits a very slight chakra signal when active. It’s pretty hard to find unless you’re a really good sensor or know to look for it. Looks like even your Sharingan didn’t catch it!”

 

“You made this?”

 

“No, this technique has been around for a while,” she said, waving him off. “But there are so few situations where it’s actually helpful in the field that it’s rarely used anymore. My old sensei loved stuff like this, though.” For a second, her gaze dropped and dimmed in memory, but then she brightened and continued. “So once I could find you, my clones set up a barrier around you. Did you notice them each touch something with their hands?”

 

Kakashi thought for a second then nodded. “The tree trunks…they each touched a trunk with their palms.”

 

“Blood marking,” Kaiya explained. “Set north, south, east, and west of _this.”_ She pulled out the kunai he’d spotted earlier, the one that left the nick in the root. “I put an anchor seal on this as well as a possible Hiraishin formula, just to mislead you. The anchor was the only thing that’s supposed to work. Once the clones hit those four points - all exactly the same distance away from this anchor - the barrier was all set up. I just had to activate it.”

 

She brought her hands up and weaved a hand sign. Kakashi then noticed a distinct lightening in the air pressure around them, and Kaiya sighed. “Yeah, that’s one of the kinks I still need to work out. I made sure to be fighting you when I activated the barrier so hopefully you wouldn’t notice, but I need to fix that before using it in the field. The setup for the barrier’s pretty clumsy too, but now that I know the basics work, I can fix that.”

 

“So once the barrier was set up,” Kakashi recapped, “if I hit its boundaries, it bounced me back to the anchoring point?”

 

“Exactly!” Her eyes shone with excitement. “That was the trickiest part, working in a space-time formula. The barrier creates a very basic space-time loop within its confines, so you can easily predict where a target will end up if they try to escape. Oh, and the best part? It’s actually stable enough that once it’s up, you don’t have to stick around to maintain it, though I still have to test out just how far you can go before it destabilizes. Ideally, you could leave a target trapped while you leave to get backup. Oh - did you happen to notice anything with your Sharingan? A chakra field, anything like that?”

 

Kakashi shook his head slowly, finding it dizzying to keep up with her.

 

Kaiya pumped a fist in the air. “Yes - so it’s invisible, at least to Sharingan! I used a bit of an old formula I made during my Chunin Exams to mask chakra from dojutsu and sensors. I was worried it would unbalance the seal, but it sounds like it worked! Though I wonder if that’s what’s making the air pressure change…”

 

She noticed Kakashi staring at her with what looked like mild bewilderment and gave a nervous chuckle. “Sorry…I tend to ramble a lot when it comes to my projects. And I know this was supposed to be just about Hiraishin, but I needed to test this out on someone besides my teammates since they already know the older versions, and…well, to be honest, I’m up for Jonin promotion soon, and having the recommendation from an established Jonin would go a long way…and I’d still like to work on the Hiraishin formulas too, I mean, if you’re not busy, which I totally understand if you are-“

 

“Kaiya.”

 

She snapped her mouth shut, realizing that once again, she’d let her tongue get away from her. It was an old nervous habit.

 

Kakashi closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them and asked, “Why do you want to become a Jonin?”

 

She shifted her weight. “Well, it’s the next step, right? Genin, Chunin, Jonin…plus, the security clearance for Jonin is significantly higher. I managed to get this far with the barrier using what’s available to Chunin, but it might’ve gone a lot faster if I had access to Jonin-level materials. That’s where the A-rank, less commonly taught jutsu is, and frankly, I’ve pretty much exhausted all the lower-level Fuinjutsu resources. Besides…no one takes a Chunin's theories all that seriously, trust me."

 

"There's more to being a Jonin than security clearance and research opportunities," Kakashi said, sounding almost testy. "If that's all you're after-"

 

"It's not." Kaiya pushed her hair back in agitation. "I know it's not. But I have something to contribute, you know? Something that could really help people. No one really studies Fuinjutsu anymore; all we do is reuse old formulas. This barrier…it’s the first jutsu I’ve made from scratch, so to speak, though it still uses a lot of elements from other seals. But it’s not just about that. If I can get it work better, it could make a huge difference for Shinobi in the field. It could provide a safe space to recover from injuries and exhaustion, or to discuss things without enemies overhearing them. It could trap enemies or targets so that a long chase isn't necessary. It's rough right now, but I know it _could_ work…and I need to get past all that bureaucratic red tape to make it so."

 

She was starting to get used to Kakashi staring at her like this, she decided - searchingly, or like he was just on the verge of saying something but held back. Or at least, she'd tell herself that until it stopped making her uncomfortable.

 

After a moment, he sighed and closed his eye. "There's still more to becoming a Jonin…but if you'd like, I can train with you sometimes to help you get there."

 

Kaiya smiled and had to restrain herself from leaping for joy. “Thank you! Thank you so much - seriously, you have no idea what this means to me! I’ll work around your schedule - well, and my own, obviously - but I promise you won’t regret this!”

 

Kakashi watched her leave with a pensive frown creasing his forehead, wondering why he had signed himself on for this.

 

~*~

 

On the furthermost edge of the territory that fell under Konoha's sensing barrier, in a deep underground tunnel, two masked Shinobi stood watch. A man slowly sauntered up to them, his eyes practically glowing in the dimly lit corridor, sizing them up…and finding them lacking. Just like that old man to send others - though granted, this was just a meeting to confirm the plan. Perhaps he felt this task was beneath him.

 

"So he won't come to greet me personally, I take it?" The man's voice slithered along the walls to the ears of the other two.

 

"We're here to deliver a message," answered one of the agents, his voice muffled by his bone-white mask.

 

The man grinned, his sharp incisors gleaming like fangs in the torchlight. "Oh?"

 

"'Everything is set up,'" quoted the agent. "'Welcome back to Konoha, Orochimaru.'"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Looks like trouble's a-brewing! Let's have a quick recap: 
> 
> * Kaiya found one of the Fourth's Hiraishin kunai! We also got a little explanation of chakra/jutsu theory and why Hiraishin is so hard to learn. I'll admit, that's one of my favorite parts of fanfiction - explaining things that canon maybe did not :P
> * We saw a bit of the (tense) relationship Sasuke and Kaiya have...though it seems like most of that tension comes from his side. Sasuke's quite proud and independent; he doesn't always appreciate being "mothered."
> * Ooo...looks like there's some tension when it comes to the Elders, too! And what was that conversation afterward all about? Who was Hiruzen talking with? (Probably not hard to guess lol)
> * We get a look at Kaiya in action - including with the jutsu that will become one her signatures, the (uncreatively named) Barrier Seal! And yes, Kakashi did sort of let her win - or at least wasn't that invested except to see her main skills.
> 
>  **NEXT TIME:** The Chunin Exams begin for Team 7...we'll see a bit more of Team Recon...Kakashi and Kaiya bond...and something happens in the Second Exam that prompts Kaiya to use a more advanced Fuinjutsu than she's ever handled before, and catch the eye of an unsavory snake.
> 
>  
> 
> **Stay tuned!**


	3. Getting to Know You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How Kaiya met Gorou; Dinner with Team Recon; Kaiya & Kakashi get to know each other; Kaiya visits the orphanage and is watched by a mysterious figure...

* * *

 

_The sun beat down on the Academy yard, its rays unseasonably warm even for the temperate Land of Fire. From the shade of the lone tree, Kaiya watched as children bade good-bye to their parents, some excitedly pushing the adults from the yard while others clung to their mothers’ aprons. Kaiya had no one to say good-bye to; she’d given her farewells to the orphanage a week ago, and the wardens were far too busy with the other kids to make the long trek to the village for a simple entrance ceremony._

 

_Kaiya didn’t mind that - she’d known from the moment the wardens agreed to enroll her that she’d have to make it on her own. The first few days living alone had even been exciting; she had a whole room **and** a bathroom all to herself! There was a small bookshelf built into the wall that begged to be filled, and she already figured out how to work the rice cooker. _

 

_Now, though - seeing her soon-to-be classmates laughing, crying, ignoring, or clinging to their families…something in her chest felt strangely heavy, like her heart was tied to a boulder that rolled slowly down a hill. She was alone. Yes, she’d asked for this, had insisted that she could do it, would **prove** she could do it, but…could she? _

 

_She would. She had to. Her small hands tightened on the rope of the swing with her resolve, but it didn’t lighten the weight in her chest._

 

_The bell rang, signaling the start of the first class. Kaiya found her way to her classroom by herself and took a seat, trying not to clutch her schoolbag and show how nervous she was. She wondered what the teacher would be like, what the first lesson would be, if she’d read enough from the used books the wardens had found for her. What if they were right and she was already behind everyone else just because she didn’t come from a ninja family? What if all of these other kids were already years ahead of her?_

 

_The afternoon’s first classes put her only a little at ease. The teacher had the class introduce themselves, which Kaiya did with a smile that belied how scared she was; the ninja rules were the main lesson of the day, and she had already memorized most of them. When it came to the first practical class, taijutsu, she was relieved that she wasn’t the only one who was learning how to stand and fall properly for the first time. Already she knew she’d love the history portion, which to her felt like story time at the orphanage. By the end of the day, her spirits had lifted and she felt a little less lost than a few hours before._

 

_That changed when the class let out and the other children ran to meet their families once again. They’d only been apart for a few hours, but by the greetings some of them got, one would think they’d been gone for days. Parents went directly to the teacher, asking how their child had done that day, if they’d been any trouble, what should they work on…_

 

_Kaiya felt it again: that weight in her chest that threatened to drag her to the ground. As the crowd petered out, she too left for the small studio apartment she now called home. She opened a window to let some fresh air in and scooped some rice into a bowl, adding packaged tofu to make up her dinner. Her homework was done quickly, and she was left with a good hour before what would normally be lights-out at the orphanage._

 

_The rest of the week went very much the same: go to school, watch the kids join their families, come to her empty apartment, fix herself a bland supper and do her homework. Go to sleep (or try to), repeat the following day. She did that for three days, and each day, the weight in her chest grew heavier and heavier. On the fourth day, once again watching her classmates leave with parents or siblings, Kaiya felt the sting of tears in her eyes. That day she ran home as fast as she could before anyone could possibly see the first drop fall._

 

_On the fifth day of school, she lingered in the schoolyard a little longer than usual, despite the lump in her throat. She wasn’t sure she could stand going back to the empty apartment again, hearing the voices of other children and their families just below her window, knowing that every day she would face the same routine. And she hated herself for feeling this way. Wasn’t she going to become a ninja - a warrior, someone who could protect others? Yet here she was, ready to cave after barely a week just because…what? It wasn’t that her classes were too hard, or that the other kids were miles ahead - they weren’t. She wouldn’t call all of the work easy, but she was keeping up so far. So why did she yearn to run back to the orphanage and surround herself with the kids she considered her family?_

 

“ _Hey, whatcha doin’?”_

 

_Kaiya looked up from the swing in surprise. No one ever talked to her. No one came up to her. So why was this lanky boy with spiky green hair grinning at her now? “Umm…”_

 

“ _Wanna play or somethin’?” The boy scratched his unruly green spikes. “My ma an’ brothers are all doin’ their own thing, so I figured I could play for a while ‘til they come back! Beats homework, ha!”_

 

_Kaiya blinked. “Um…sure?”_

 

_The boy grinned even wider. “Sweet! The name’s Date Gorou, by the way. I think you’re in my class, uh…”_

 

“ _Kaiya,” she supplied. Yes, he was right - they were in the same class. Gorou was taller and looked older than all of the other kids, so he stuck out. “My name’s Fuumaki Kaiya. Ano…nice to meet you, Gorou…san?”_

 

_Gorou let out a big guffaw. “‘San?’ You gotta be kiddin’ me!”_

 

_Kaiya scowled. “Well, you don’t have to be rude about it, ya know!”_

 

“ _Ah! Sorry,” Gorou said, rubbing his neck. “Just - who calls their classmate ‘san?’”_

 

“ _What am I supposed to call you?”_

 

_Gorou shrugged. “I dunno. Gorou-kun, I guess? But ya don’t have to. Just call me Gorou, it’s easier!”_

 

_Disarmed by the boy’s easy-going cheer, Kaiya relaxed and smiled. “Then…you can just call me Kaiya!”_

 

“ _No way! You’re definitely a ‘chan’ in my book! Now c’mon - I saw a ball in the playground, let’s go grab it before someone else does!”_

 

_Kaiya followed Gorou without further thought; they played well into the evening, when a stout woman with the same hazel-gold eyes as Gorou came calling. Gorou waved at her and grinned. “Yeah, comin’, ‘kaa-san!”_

 

_Kaiya’s heart started to sink again. She wasn’t ready to say goodbye just yet and go back to her too-quiet studio. She wanted to keep playing, to feel this sense of belonging for a little while longer._

 

_Gorou’s mother came up and studied Kaiya with her hands on her hips. “And who’s this? Gorou, be a gentleman and introduce me to your friend!”_

 

“ _This is Kaiya-chan, ‘kaa-san! We’re in the same class!”_

 

“ _Ahh, you look like a smart girl, Kaiya-chan!” announced Date-san. “Maybe you can keep my no-good son out of trouble this year! It’s his second time in that class, you know!”_

 

“’ _Kaa-saaaan…”_

 

“ _Well, it’s true! If you want to catch up to your brothers, you’ll finish the year out with decent grades!” Date-san gave Kaiya a warm smile. “Well then, Kaiya-chan, are your folks coming to get you, or can we walk you home?”_

 

“ _Ano…” Kaiya wasn’t sure what to say. She hadn’t told anyone yet that she had no family - not a normal one in the village, at least - nor that she couldn’t remember her own parents’ faces. “I…um…I don’t…”_

 

_Date-san’s smile evaporated and Kaiya looked down, suddenly afraid of what she might say. Then she felt a calloused but warm hand on her shoulder. Date-san’s smile was back, thought softer, and her hazel eyes twinkled. “Why don’t you come have dinner with us then, Kaiya-chan? We’d be glad to have you!”_

 

“ _Yeah!” Gorou practically jumped with excitement. “Then you can meet my brothers, an’ we can play more after dinner-”_

 

“ _ **Homework,** Date Gorou!” _

 

“ _Aw man…”_

 

_Kaiya giggled and let herself be led by the hand to her new friend’s house. When she eventually returned home that night, belly full of delicious food (some of which Date-san had insisted on packing for her refrigerator) and homework already completed, the empty apartment didn’t seem so…empty anymore. Nor did the thought of returning here the next day make her chest feel heavy. She had a friend now…and that made everything easier to bear._

* * *

 

Cooking nights at Hikaru's had started so that Team Recon (as Gorou had long ago dubbed them) wouldn't always have to spend money on hotpot, though if they were being honest, Hikaru's cooking could surpass most of the restaurants in the village. They were also lessons of a sort for Kaiya and Gorou. Kaiya subsisted mostly off of microwavable meals when she remembered to eat; Gorou lived at home, where his mother insisted on cooking for her large family (even though her sons were all adults, two of them married with families of their own). While Gorou was perfectly willing to learn new things, he found patience hard to come by when they weren't on a mission - and patience was exactly what he needed for the task he'd been given tonight.

 

"C'mon Hikaru, can't you give me something better to do than watch a freakin' pot of rice?"

 

Hikaru glanced over from the pork cutlets he was frying with narrowed eyes. "And risk you burning down my apartment _again_?"

 

Gorou bristled and grumbled, "That was ONE time! And it was just a small fire!" He held his hands close together to illustrate.

 

Kaiya snickered. "Well, the tempura fryer was one time..."

 

"Then there was the grease fire last March," Hikaru added.

 

"The cloth hanging half inside the oven..."

 

"The nuclear level of chili oil you tried to add to that stew..."

 

Gorou groaned and rolled his eyes, clenching his fingers in his hair. "Okay, so I'm not a master chef! And that stew _needed_ more chili oil!"

 

"You think _everything_ needs more chili oil."

 

Gorou casually waved off the critique. "Everything _does_ need more chili oil. It's not my fault you two geniuses can't take the heat!"

 

"Ummm...Gorou?"

 

"What, Kaiya-chan?"

 

"The rice pot..."

 

Gorou glanced at the stove and yelped when he saw the pot boiling over. Hikaru was there in an instant, taking the pot from the stove and turning down the heat. "Seriously, Gorou, I can't even trust you with _boiling water_?"

 

Gorou just rubbed the back of his head, grinning sheepishly. "I guess I'll just set the table, then?"

 

Gorou began to carefully place bowls and chopsticks around the low table. Hikaru returned to the pork cutlets, taking them out of the pan and setting them to rest on a platter. He turned to Kaiya, and after tasting the soup and giving a nod of approval, asked, "So what have you been up to, then?"

 

"Yeah, Kaiya-chan - we haven't seen you around much lately."

 

"Well, you know that barrier seal jutsu I've been working on?" Kaiya tried - and failed - to hide a proud grin. "I've finally gotten it to work!"

 

Gorou nearly dropped a bowl when he raised his arms in victory. "Woo! Go, Kaiya-chan!"

 

Hikaru winced. "Gorou, _please_ be more careful!"

 

"What? I didn't break it, and it's not like your folks couldn't just buy you new ones..."

 

Hikaru pinched the bridge of his nose. "That's not the point...Anyway, congratulations, Kaiya. So you figured out those kunai seals too?"

 

She shook her head. "Not yet, but Kakashi-san has been working with me on it. He was the Fourth's student, so he at least knows how the guy worked."

 

"No way!" Gorou looked amazed. "You've been working with the _Copy-Nin_? Why didn't you tell us? Unless..." He sidled up to her and wiggled his eyebrows. "...you two are breaking more than just kunai seals? Eh?"

 

Kaiya slapped him upside the head with her spoon. "You're such a pervert! And no, I didn't mention it because it hasn't come up."

 

Gorou rubbed his head. "Man, you're as bad as my mom with that thing..."

 

Hikaru shook his head in exasperation. "Dinner is ready. Gorou, rice goes on the trivet -"

 

"The what-et?"

 

"Don't act so ignorant. You know by now what that is." Hikaru ignored the tongue Gorou stuck out at him.

 

"Oh man, it looks amazing!" Gorou salivated over the spread. "Itadakimasu!"

 

Hikaru sighed as Gorou piled his plate and started shoveling food in his mouth. He'd long since given up on his bigger teammate's manners. Kaiya, at least, was a bit slower and kept her posture.

 

"Hey, Kaiya-chan..." Gorou started around a mouthful of rice and pork.

 

"Gorou, don't speak with your mouth full," Hikaru said automatically.

 

Gorou glared at him but swallowed before continuing. "Kaiya-chan, you know what I just realized?"

 

"That you might actually evolve beyond caveman tendencies someday?" Hikaru muttered.

 

Gorou ignored him this time. "You're a girl..." He took another big bite.

 

Hikaru and Kaiya exchanged a look, then shook their heads. "Too easy," they chorused.

 

"Hey! I was just chewing, I'm not done..." After another bite - which he made sure to swallow fully - he restarted. "You're a girl. You're hot."

 

"Um, thanks, Gorou..."

 

"What I mean is, you should totally be dating right now!" He pointed his chopsticks at her, ignoring Hikaru's grimace at the action. "There've been, like, a dozen guys in this village asking me to set you up with them. Some of them are okay. Why not give it a go?"

 

"What are you, my mother? Trying to marry me off?"

 

Gorou put his hands up in defense. "Hey, just thought maybe you'd like to have some fun that _doesn't_ involve kunai or seals or whatever. Or does, if that's what you're into..." He dodged the chunk of carrot Kaiya launched at his head.

 

Hikaru stood to retrieve the orange projectile. "Kaiya, please do not throw food. Gorou, if Kaiya is more interested in her work than in dating, let her be. Not everyone has your propensity for courting anything that moves."

 

"Hey, only the females that move," Gorou shot back. "I leave the guys to you two. And I didn't hear _you_ complain when I set you up with that guy in the book store!" Hikaru's face reddened and he opened his mouth to retort.

 

Kaiya slammed her chopsticks down, surprising the two males into silence.

 

"Please stop talking about my love life as though I'm not here. Gorou, I do not need you to set me up. Hikaru, I don't need you to defend me. If I want to date, I will date." She stood from the table. "Now if you'll excuse me, I've lost my appetite." 

 

Gorou and Hikaru stared after her, open-mouthed and in stunned silence.

 

"I think we both hit a nerve this time," Hikaru sighed.

 

"Is she okay?" Gorou wondered, his brow knit in concern as he craned his neck to see where Kaiya had gone. "I mean, I guess I shoulda known…but it's been years, ya know? I just want her to be happy…"

 

"I know…so do I." Hikaru stood. "I'll go. Would you mind clearing the table when you've finished?"

 

Gorou nodded. "Sure thing. And...tell her I didn't mean anything by it, 'kay? I really didn't think she'd take it so bad."

 

Hikaru offered his teammate a small smile and assured him he would. He went to the balcony outside the living room and found Kaiya leaning on the railing a couple meters away, looking out over the expansive view of the village without really seeing it. He hesitated a second before joining her.

 

After a couple minutes of quiet, with both of them just watching the summer breeze pick up some leaves, Hikaru spoke. "Gorou's an idiot, but he means well. And you're right - you're perfectly capable of defending yourself. More than. We're both sorry."

 

Kaiya nodded in acceptance. "I know. It's just, the whole dating thing..."

 

"I know."

 

Kaiya glanced over at her teammate to find his plum-colored eyes trained on her face. "Yeah, you do." She pushed off of the railing. "Ugh - it's been, what? Five years? Why can't I just move on?"

 

Hikaru put a hand on her shoulder. "It was a betrayal, for you and for many others. It's completely understandable that you'd be hesitant."

 

She snorted. "Hesitant. I feel like I'm still standing in that same spot. Maybe I _will_ take Gorou up on the setup offer. Might actually help." She frowned and turned back to Hikaru, expression imploring. "Should I be…I dunno, more angry about it? Not the dating thing -"

 

"I think Yuuma-sensei would've wanted you to be happy," Hikaru interrupted, already knowing what she was asking. "He wouldn't want you consumed by hatred and vengeance. He wouldn't want that for any of us."

 

"But…is it right to move on when…"

 

"When his killer is still out there?" Hikaru finished bluntly. "I don't know if it's right or wrong. But…I think it's better for you not to dwell on it, to live your life. Isn't that what he'd say?"

 

Kaiya nodded, a lump in her throat.

 

Hikaru leaned over and rubbed her back. "Let's go back inside. I left Gorou in charge of dishes - hopefully he hasn't flooded the place…"

 

Kaiya smiled at that. "Yeah…let's go." 

* * *

 

That night, Kaiya couldn't sleep. When the sky began to turn gray, she gave up on the endeavor and got dressed. With so much on her mind, a run in the cool morning air might help clear her head.

 

Five years…it had really been five years since that night? It felt so much closer, so that even thinking about it threatened to tear open the old wounds of betrayal and loss. Sometimes she still couldn’t believe it had happened at all.

 

_Wrong place, wrong time…a hero’s death…fallen in service to his village…_ Yuuma’s death had been described in a handful of such phrases by those who knew it had happened at all. The truth was, Yuuma wasn’t very well-known. He didn’t have a fancy nickname like “The Yellow Flash,” didn’t have any known feats to his name, wasn’t a member of a clan big or small. He was civilian-born, orphaned by one of the many skirmishes between the First and Second wars, someone whose specialty favored anonymity. Intel and reconnaissance tended to go more smoothly when one could move through many circles unrecognized.

 

To those who knew him, Yuuma had been a friendly, cheerful man who nearly always wore a smile. He liked to say that ‘luck was in his name,’ and that it had gotten him through many scrapes - but he never let his students rely on luck alone. He’d instructed a few Genin groups in his day, and perhaps had he lived, Team Recon would have been his last anyway. Perhaps he would have retired, settled down either alone or with a partner, spent his days birdwatching in the forests surrounding Konoha and keeping in touch with his former proteges.

 

Instead, his luck ran out when at the age of forty, he was struck down by a notorious traitor. A traitor who’d once held a place in Kaiya’s heart that she had shared with no one else before or since - one that she wasn’t sure she _could_ share with anyone else.

 

Hikaru was right…Yuuma wouldn’t want her dwelling in anger over him. But was Sasuke right, too - should she be doing something more about it? But what? Uchiha Itachi had always been a prodigy, someone with whom no one could compete. Sure, she was good at Fuinjutsu, a field hardly anyone cared about nowadays, but what good would that be against someone who could copy any jutsu on sight, who could pick apart an opponent as easily as a loose knot, who had slaughtered one of the most powerful clans in Konoha in a single night?

 

What could she do about it? What _should_ she do about it?

 

With no answers readily available, Kaiya simply ran.

 

The village was quiet this time of morning. The earliest risers were just out of their beds; only one or two were outside as her feet pounded the dusty streets. Kaiya quickly took to the roofs, seeking the open air. Her hair, unbound as it was, trailed behind her like a crimson wave; the wind created by her momentum felt invigorating against her skin. She stopped short of the tree line, doubling back rather than entering the forest that surrounded the village; there was somewhere in particular she wanted to be right now.

 

Reaching the cemetery, Kaiya stopped, running her fingers through her hair to work out a few knots that had formed on her run. She straightened her clothes and caught her breath before going in. A faint birdsong floated to her ears and she wondered what species it was; Yuuma would have known, she was certain. He knew the songs of every species that lived in the Land of Fire, could probably even say whether it was a male or female.

 

Kaiya passed the memorial stone along her way and swiftly ducked behind a tree when she saw that she wasn't alone in the cemetery. Was that…yes, it was Kakashi! Sympathy mingled with curiosity within her and she watched him for a moment. He was fully dressed, she noted, complete with wrappings, packs, and hitai-ate; all set for the day's work. Kaiya herself had only thrown on a sweatshirt and shoes for her excursion; she hadn't decided to come here until part way through her run. She couldn't hear him from this distance, couldn't see his masked face clearly, but something about his posture told her that this was a regular occurrence for him. The memorial stone was dedicated to those who not only lost their lives in the service of their village - there was nothing left of them to fill a grave. Kakashi…who had he lost?

 

The question seemed silly. From what she knew of the famous (some might say infamous) Copy-Nin, Kakashi had fought in the Third War and studied under the Fourth Hokage. He’d been on battlefields when she was still learning to write her name. According to the history books, a full third of the youngest generation of Shinobi - many of them Genin fresh out of the Academy - had lost their lives in that war. Of course he’d lost people, probably more than she could fathom.

 

Suddenly, her own losses seemed trivial by comparison. Yes, she'd lost her parents, but she couldn't even remember their faces or names. She’d lost her teacher, who was more like a father than any she could recall, but that was one person. Did quantity make a difference, though? Loss was loss, no matter how you counted it.

 

Kaiya turned away, not wanting to intrude on whatever moment Kakashi was having at the memorial stone. Besides, she'd come here to see someone else - someone whose grave she could find blindfolded.

 

"Hey, sensei," she greeted softly, brushing a fallen leaf from the headstone as she sat down. "Got a lot of questions on my mind lately…"

* * *

 

The weeks flew by. Between missions, Kaiya began meeting with Kakashi, usually to discuss Hiraishin, but sometimes other subjects came up as well. She showed him some of her older projects - a chakra masking seal that allowed the wearer to be undetectable by dojutsu or sensors for a period of time; a condensed storage seal that could hold copious amounts of small weapons and be released with a mere tap…most were based on existing seals, but she'd found a way to either simplify them or make them more user-friendly. Their sessions started small, but gradually grew in length; gaps from Kakashi’s habitual lateness became shorter as well, though Kaiya had a sneaking suspicion that he was using them as an excuse to put off meeting his own Genin team at times.

 

On this particular day, Kakashi was patiently waiting while Kaiya ate a quick lunch, sprawled out on the grassy training field they’d commandeered for a couple hours. It was then that, to her surprise, Kaiya found that she and the Copy-Nin had something in common: a love of books…just different types of books.

 

"I'm telling you, it's not that bad."

 

"It's soft-core porn!"

 

"How would you know if you haven't read it?"

 

"I don't need to - it has a reputation!"

 

"You shouldn't judge a book by its cover," Kakashi admonished. "Isn't that what they always say?"

 

"I can judge _that_ book just fine," Kaiya retorted, nodding toward the closed _Icha Icha_ on the grass.

 

"And what's so great about _Detective H?_ "

 

_Detective H_ was Kaiya’s series of choice, a set of old mystery stories that she had practically memorized for having read them so many times. "Hey, at least detective stories exercise your brain!"

 

Rather than retort, Kakashi simply looked at her with a strange, almost nostalgic expression - at least, that’s what it looked like from what she could see of his face. It was amazing how expressive that one eye could be when he let his guard down. Kaiya blinked and felt her neck grow warm; she'd seen something like this look on him a few times now, and she had no idea what it meant. "What?"

 

"Oh - nothing," Kakashi said, shifting his gaze away momentarily. "So…I've recommended the team for the Chunin Exams."

 

"Eh?" Kaiya blinked, so surprised by the awkward segue that she immediately forgot about his strange look. "Wait - Naruto and Sasuke? But they've barely been Genin for a year!"

 

"They're ready to have a go," Kakashi shrugged, leaning on his elbow. "They've been on the requisite number of missions, including one that went far beyond Genin class, and frankly, I'm tired of Naruto and Sasuke complaining about how easy their missions are. Honestly, it’s Sakura I’d be more worried about."

 

“Mm…I wouldn’t worry too much about her, actually,” Kaiya said, picking at her rice. “Yeah, a lot of girls that age are preoccupied with things that shouldn’t matter to a Shinobi - looks, dating, and all that…but she seems tougher than she lets on. Something tells me that when push comes to shove, she’ll pull through.”

 

Kakashi gave a thoughtful hum and looked up at the sky. “Is that how you were at that age? More interested in boys than in training?”

 

Kaiya’s chopsticks stilled in her hand. At that age - twelve or thirteen… “I…don’t know that I’m the best example. I mean…it’s kinda different when you don’t have a family to fall back on, I guess. You have different priorities. You grow up faster.”

 

“Tell that to Naruto.”

 

Kaiya couldn’t help a snort of laughter. “I know, I know, he seems immature - and he is - but-”

 

“He’s got surprising depth to him,” Kakashi supplied. “I’ve noticed.”

 

Kaiya smiled. “Well…yeah. He does.”

 

A strangely comfortable silence fell over them, during which Kaiya resumed her lunch and Kakashi simply stared up at the sky. “So is that all you have to say?”

 

“About what?”

 

“Naruto and Sasuke being in the Chunin Exams,” Kakashi said. “I’d have thought you’d protest more - you do tend to mother them.”

 

Kaiya rolled her eyes. “Yeah, but they _are_ Shinobi now. My team took the exams at around the same time in our careers. From the sound of it, you’re doing a decent job with them, sensei,” she added, pointing her chopsticks at him with a teasing grin. “And you’re right - Naruto’s been complaining about all the D-rank missions. Sasuke…he’s been training almost nonstop since you all got back.”

 

“You’ve noticed that too, huh?”

 

“Hard not to.”

 

Kakashi studied her frown with a pensive eye. “Do you know why he trains so hard?”

 

Kaiya’s gaze clouded over. “Yeah. I do.”

 

“He’s told you?”

 

She flinched involuntarily, feeling his inquiring gaze like a hot lamp. “Not…exactly.”

 

“No?”

 

Swallowing again, this time from a dry mouth, Kaiya offered, “Well, the whole village knows what happened, you know? To his clan. It kinda makes sense that he’d want revenge…and he knows what he’s up against, I mean, it was his brother…”

 

“I know you’re the one who brought him to the hospital that night, Kaiya.”

 

Kaiya’s gaze shot up. How did he know that? That she’d been at the Uchiha compound at all that night was not widely known by a longshot; only the nurses at the hospital and a few higher-ups knew that. It was one more thing she could be grateful to Sandaime for - the Elders had questioned her relentlessly about her reasons for being in the Uchiha compound that night, but he called them off and made sure that rumors didn’t circulate about it. He ensured that Kaiya wouldn’t be put into the spotlight for simply having wandered onto the site of a massacre.

 

Kakashi took one look at her surprised expression and sighed. “I was part of the Anbu ‘cleanup crew.’ I’m privy to more information than most.”

 

Kaiya blinked and felt her shoulders loosen marginally. He’d been in Anbu? That made sense…it gave her more questions though, questions that she didn’t dare voice, so she replied with a simple, “…oh.”

 

“I didn’t mean to press on an uncomfortable subject,” Kakashi said, propping himself up on his elbows. “I’m just trying to get a feel for your relationship with my students. Naruto, I understand…Sasuke, less so.”

 

Kaiya dropped her gaze to her half-forgotten bento. “Well…I felt for him, you know? He was so little, and he went from having a loving family - heck, a whole clan of them - to nothing literally overnight. And…I think a lot of people take for granted all the things that parents or guardians do for kids. Cooking, cleaning, buying clothes and groceries, paying bills…He had to learn how to take care of himself, so I made sure he learned. I guess someone else might have - I remember having a couple of adult Genin come around from time to time, I think it was considered a D-rank mission - but…I guess I felt responsible.”

 

“Because you found him?”

 

“…yeah.”

 

Kakashi was very quiet for a moment - so quiet that if she hadn’t been looking at him, Kaiya would have assumed he’d left. She was dying to know what he was thinking about. Was he aware of what his two male students’ lives had been like through their Academy years? Actually - what had _his_ life been like back then? She was suddenly curious to know more about the enigma that was Hatake Kakashi, and not just what she could find out in the records office or through rumors. How had he grown up? What was his family like? Why did he read _Icha Icha_ when there was such better literature out there?!

 

And why was he here now, spending time with her?

 

She really didn’t want to ask the last question for fear of him wondering the same thing and deciding that he shouldn’t bother. But why would she care if he decided to stop these sessions? She could probably find another Jonin…though probably not one with any experience under the Fourth Hokage’s tutelage…No, best to get out of this what she could, while she could. "So…I've been doing some sketching of possibly Hiraishin formulas. Thanks for telling me the rest of the inscription, by the way - it should help a lot, I think."

 

"How does knowing the phrase _'nin ai no ken'_ help you figure out the formula?"

 

"Well," Kaiya started. "It takes intent and extreme focus to condense a complicated jutsu formula into a small symbol or phrase. You not only have to know the jutsu inside and out, you have to _own_ it. The symbol has to mean something to the caster because of this; that meaning gives shape and purpose to the jutsu so that the formula doesn't _have_ to be completely written out. Here…"

 

She took out a small scroll, a blank tag, a brush with ink, and her water canteen. On the scroll, she swiftly wrote a full dozen lines of tiny script, kanji mixed with older-style characters and various symbols that Kakashi didn't recognize. "This is a typical elemental seal - I'm making it a water seal specifically. It lets us store water in a scroll so that a person can use Suiton without a readily available water source nearby. However, it's kind of bulky to carry around several scrolls like this…"

 

Next she took the blank tag and with care wrote the kanji for 'water.' "I know that seal really well - I've got it memorized - and I've used it enough times that I can do this: condense it to a single symbol. But I have to imbue every stroke of the brush with precise intent and chakra so that it actually works as a storage seal, otherwise, when I do this…" She opened her water canteen. "…all I'll get is a wet tag."

 

She formed a short series of hand signs and poured some of her water out onto the tag. Instead of soaking the paper, the water swirled into the kanji character, making it glow briefly as the liquid was absorbed into some other plane of existence.

 

"Intent and focus make the difference," Kaiya said, handing Kakashi the finished tag. "Anyone can copy out a full sealing formula, but it takes a lot more concentration and a very clear purpose to condense it. Knowing not just the Hiraishin formula, but _how_ Yondaime came up with his own way of using it…that’s how I'll be able to make my own as well. At least, that's what I think will work," she finished, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear.

 

Once again, Kaiya found herself on the receiving end of one of Kakashi's thousand-meter stares. What was he thinking when he did that? Not for the first time, Kaiya almost wished mind-reading was a skill she could learn, since the Copy-Nin's face was unreadable but for his one visible eye.

 

"You're pretty good at this," he said at last.

 

Kaiya just snorted and dropped onto her back on the grass. "I've been doing this for a while. You stare at enough formulas, they just start making sense, you know?"

 

"No, I don't," Kakashi stated. Kaiya glanced at him curiously. "I'm not exactly a slouch at Fuinjutsu, but what you just described…even with a Sharingan, I couldn't copy what you just did. It's more than jutsu - you have a feel for this."

 

Kaiya turned her eyes to the sky and shrugged awkwardly. "It's not _that_ big a deal…it's just that not a lot of people bother with it, you know…"

 

She heard him huff and from the corner of her eye saw him shake his head, brow creased in mild amusement. "If you say so."

* * *

 

Konoha's orphanage never seemed to change much - it was still a blocky building at the end of a long, narrow dirt road, surrounded by a moderately tended vegetable garden that was lush with summer's produce. Some of her earliest memories were of this place, fuzzy though they were. The injury that took her first five years' worth of memories made it hard for her to hold onto information for months afterward. She remembered running back and forth between this building and some tents, repeating messages over and over again in her mind to strengthen her damaged memory; to this day, there were a couple of faces she couldn't quite make out. Mostly, she remembered how patient the wardens were, even though they tried to keep her from joining the Academy. She'd kept at them for weeks before they finally relented. To this day, they never told her why they were so reluctant to sign off on her becoming a Shinobi, but she guessed that it was because they dealt every day with an often unintended result of ninja battles: orphaned children.

 

Today, there were fewer young children at the orphanage, a testament to the peace the nations currently enjoyed. Kaiya stood before the entrance and breathed in the oddly mixed scents of garden dirt and cleaning liquids, letting herself bask in nostalgia for a moment before entering. As soon as she did, she was nearly bowled over by a dozen small bodies. Arms both pudgy and gangly wrapped around her legs and torso; she laughed and fought to keep her balance as the children all started talking to her at once.

 

"Kaiya-nee-chaaan!"

 

"Are ya here for the whole day?"

 

"C'mon - I wanna show you-"

 

"-story time?"

 

"One at a time, one at a time!" Kaiya extricated herself and sat so that she was eye-level with the children. "Akio, Ren, Mari - let's have the report!"

 

The three oldest nodded earnestly. "Mm! We get 'em all to brush their teeth every night an' taught 'em to read the clock an' everything!"

 

"Very good," she praised. "And…what's this I have here…" She reached into a pocket and took out a slim rectangular package. "Let's see…I think it was Nori's turn, wasn't it?"

 

Some of the kids groaned, but they knew their turns would come soon enough. All gathered around the tiny, mousy brunette as she carefully unwrapped the gift. The group lit up when they saw what it was.

 

"A new one!"

 

"Can you read it to us now? Pleeease?"

 

"Do the voices!"

 

"That's why I came," Kaiya laughed, standing. She spied Keiri, one of the aging wardens of the orphanage, down the hallway, who gave a nod of approval. "Okay - story time! Let's go!"

* * *

 

From the shadows of the forest that encompassed the clearing on one side, a silent figure watched the redhead being pulled into the building by a dozen small hands. Konoha’s oft-forgotten orphanage…wasn’t that a nostalgic site, he thought cynically. Same building, same garden, same pair of bumbling wardens. Same red hair, though longer now, and cascading over softly sloped shoulders and a toned back.

 

How long had it been since the last time he saw her? It must have been a few years at least, now - her own mission schedule had certainly picked up, and he was only in the village for about a few weeks at a time. The figure pushed his glasses up his nose, hesitating for the merest second before flickering away. He had work to do for now - but this time…this time, he was certain their paths would cross again.

 


	4. Fuja Hoin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How Kaiya and Hikaru met; Dinner with Team 7; and a certain Snake makes an appearance...

* * *

“ _There he is!”_

 

“ _Kyaaa! He's so cool!”_

 

_Kaiya groaned as the girls in her class grew more high-pitched with every pronouncement. This was a near-daily occurrence in the fifth-year classroom; during break or lunch or both, a gaggle of girls would gather at the classroom windows and ogle whichever boy was considered the most popular for that week. It was weird to have been one of the oldest in her last class only to now be one of the youngest after a mid-year promotion. Kaiya sometimes wondered if this would be her fate soon: cooing over completely inconsequential things like how a guy walked or stood, and Kamis forbid he do anything more active-_

 

“ _KYAAAAAA!”_

 

_With a flinch, Kaiya rubbed her offended ear as the whole crowd of them squealed simultaneously, absently wondering if the boy in question had flung some mud or done some similarly astonishing feat. After another such squeal, she couldn't stop herself._

 

“ _Oy! Spare my eardrums, will ya?”_

 

_A chill hush fell over the clique as they turned toward her as a unit. Kaiya didn't bother looking up until she felt them surround her desk, where she busily copied down basic storage formulas from her textbook._

 

“ _Oh?” The leader of this particular clique, Natsumi, spoke for the group, hands on her hips, staring down at Kaiya imperiously. “You think you're too good for Saito-kun, is that it?”_

 

_Saito - so that's who the boy-of-the-week was. He had quite a streak going. Kaiya kept her eyes on her notebook and tried to remain blasé. “No, I'm just trying to study here, and your shrieking isn't helping.”_

 

_An audible gasp echoed through the group. “And what is little miss nobody working on that's so important?” Natsumi asked, her voice as sweet and sticky as honey. She made to grab Kaiya's notebook, but Kaiya grasped it tightly. Natsumi merely twisted her head to see what Kaiya was writing. “Practicing calligraphy or something? All I see are a bunch of scribbles!”_

 

“ _Guess she doesn't know the difference,” another girl muttered. “Being a nobody and all.” The other girls tittered with laughter._

 

“ _They're storage seals,” Kaiya retorted, tugging her notebook from Natsumi’s grasp. “Not that you'd know, staring at the back of Saito’s head all day.”_

 

_A sneer twisted Natsumi’s conventionally pretty face, stretching her usually pouty lips thin. “Saito- **kun** ,” she corrected snappily. “Don't you dare act like you're so special to him!” _

 

_Crap. Once again, Kaiya had forgotten to use the appropriate honorific. Could she help that in the orphanage, the kids rarely used them with each other? It was an old habit, but she wasn't about to give these girls more fuel than they already had against her. “Pfft…you can have him. Saito- **kun** is about as intelligent as the rocks he throws at people.” _

 

_A sharp crack echoed through the classroom; Kaiya's head snapped to the side, her cheek stinging and turning bright red from Natsumi's hand._

 

“ _Tch!” Natsumi folded her arms, her fair cheeks flush with anger. “Like he'd ever be interested in you, with that ugly red mop and your - your weird scribbles!”_

 

“ _That’s the best you can come up with?” Kaiya didn't realize until the words were out of her mouth that she'd spoken them aloud._

 

_With an almost feral growl, Natsumi grabbed Kaiya by the hair with both hands and dragged her from her seat. “You - you-”_

 

“ _What?!” Kaiya challenged, trying to dislodge Natsumi's fingers. “Go ahead!”_

 

“ _You **bitch!** ” Natsumi let go of her own accord, taking deep breaths and trying to compose herself. “You just want me to stoop to your level, don't you? Down there in the dirt with all the other freeloader wannabes! Well, too bad. You'll never make it, you know. You come from nowhere. No one wanted you, and no one ever will. That's why you were at that stupid orphanage!”_

 

_The sound of a window opening caught Kaiya's attention; her head snapped around and she saw some of the other girls taking her books and throwing them out the window into the muddy yard below. Kaiya yelled out and tried to stop them, but Natsumi and the others held her back._

 

“ _Not like you were doing anything worthwhile,” Natsumi cooed, her sickly sweet voice back. “Who cares about those stupid seals anyway? They're printed out all the time. What…” She covered her mouth primly as a small laugh escaped. “Do you think you're one of those ancient seal masters in the storybooks?”_

 

“ _Probably,” another girl offered. “She's always reading those dumb stories!”_

 

“ _No wonder no one likes hanging around her,” added another. “Except that big oaf.”_

 

_Kaiya growled low in her throat. They could insult her all they liked, but Gorou?! “What the hell’s that supposed to mean?!”_

 

“ _She even talks like him!”_

 

“ _The oaf and the witch!”_

 

“ _Kya, you're right! She's just like one of those ugly old witches, always messing around with old jutsu no one cares about!”_

 

“ _Old witch, old witch, old witch, old witch!”_

 

_Kaiya just rolled her eyes at this point. The sheer creativity of their insults never ceased to amaze her, but at least they were just focused on her again. All she wanted to do right now was escape from their grasp so she could get her books back before the bell rang._

 

“ _You may be interested to know,” came a light male voice from the doorway, “that Sensei is on his way back.”_

 

_The boy who matched the voice strode into the classroom with an air of detached boredom. Perfectly groomed and impeccably dressed, this was the school’s resident rich boy: Kusato Hikaru. He barely gave the girls a passing glance as he calmly made his way to his usual seat near the back. Although he was small, slight, and didn’t come from a ninja background, no one dared to even look at him insultingly for fear that his powerful, wealthy family might retaliate in some way. It paid to be the only son of the largest weapons dealer in the Land of Fire; even the teachers showed him more deference than they did most students._

 

_The girls dispersed upon hearing the warning, leaving Kaiya alone to pick herself up and straighten her hair and clothes. She mentally cursed; if Sensei was on his way back already, she’d never have time to rescue her books._

 

_Then she saw it: a folded slip of paper on her desk._

 

Check the clock.

 

_Confused, Kaiya did just that - and smiled. It was early yet; if she ran, she could make it to the schoolyard and back just in time. On her way out the door, she glanced at the Kusato heir, but he paid her no mind. Kaiya just smirked and hurried out the room._

 

_Later that day, when class let out, Kaiya approached Hikaru outside. “Hey! Um…thanks. For earlier. You kinda got me out of a bind, there!”_

 

_Hikaru, who was just a little taller than her, looked down his nose at her as though she spoke a foreign language. Then he turned and walked away._

 

“ _Hey!” Kaiya called out again, this time annoyed. “I just thanked you, you got nothing to say to that?”_

 

“’ _Do you have anything,’” Hikaru corrected with a beleaguered sigh, turning to face her again. “’You got nothing’ is so vulgar. If you’re to be my academic rival, at least use decent grammar.”_

 

_At first, Kaiya was ready to retort, but she stopped. Academic rival? Everyone knew Hikaru was top of the class in everything ninjutsu and theory-related. She’d skipped half a grade to be in that class…and he was saying she was his rival?_

 

_A grin broke out on Kaiya’s face; she didn’t even care that it was starting to rain and that she didn’t have an umbrella. She just dashed toward home, intent on improving on her so-called ‘scribbles’ in the peace of her studio so she could show up her new rival._

 

* * *

 

Setting down her shopping bag, Kaiya smiled. It was a last-minute decision, but she was already glad she'd made it. From the bag came a few prepared items from the market - grilled fish, a few different salads, a jar of pickled vegetables, instant miso soup…all she had to do was make some rice for a complete meal. It wouldn’t be at Hikaru’s level of being completely from scratch, but it would suffice, especially since her kitchenette wasn't the best suited for preparing large meals.

 

Her door opened as she turned on the rice maker, and a familiar loud voice filled the apartment. “Hey, Kaiya-nee-chan! What’s for dinner? Thanks for havin’ me over, you know - hey, you won’t believe what just happened yesterday!”

 

Kaiya listened as Naruto described, in questionable detail, meeting a trio of Shinobi from Sunagakure, how it was totally him and not Sasuke who chased them off, how there was something called the ‘Chunin Exams’ happening soon and how Kakashi had given the three teens applications to participate. Of course she’d already known about the last part, but she let Naruto ramble on undisturbed.

 

“So I'm totally gonna do it, you know! I'll ace these exams, and then I'll be even closer to becoming Hokage!”

 

Kaiya smiled warmly at the familiar pronouncement but held her tongue for the moment from admonishing him for his assumption that the exams would be so easy. She knew that it didn't matter how challenging they were - Naruto had made up his mind, and nothing would sway him from it. As she set him to the task of setting the table, someone knocked on the door. “Can you get that, Naruto?”

 

Naruto jerked back from the door when he was greeted with the scowl of his dark-haired teammate. “TEME-! What the heck are YOU doin’ here, eh?!”

 

“I was invited,” Sasuke answered coolly, sliding past him and kicking off his shoes, hands in pockets.

 

“I asked him over,” Kaiya confirmed, setting the pot of rice onto the table. “Naruto, set him a place.”

 

“What?! Why do I gotta-”

 

“ _Now.”_

 

Naruto snapped to attention; he recognized that tone. Sasuke smirked until Kaiya turned to him.

 

“Sasuke - help him out. We'll need one more setting.”

 

Sasuke didn't protest or grumble, but his brow did furrow as he reluctantly got up. A new knock on the door signaled the last of the party.

 

“Come on in!” Kaiya opened the door to reveal Sakura standing shyly outside, holding a covered basket. “Thanks for coming on such short notice, Sakura-chan! We'll be pretty cozy in here, but I think it'll work out!”

 

“Hai…” Sakura glanced at the two boys before bowing to the redhead. “Thank you for inviting me, Kaiya-san.”

 

“Oh, just Kaiya, please! Here, have a seat - what should I do with the basket?”

 

“Oh - it's my mom’s sweet buns, in case anyone wants desert. And there are a couple of apples too,” Sakura added with a glance to Sasuke.

 

“Is Kakashi coming too?” Sasuke asked, mildly curious as to the impromptu team gathering.

 

“Heh - nope! Just us four!” Kaiya finished laying out the food and sat down, motioning for the others to do the same. “Besides, my apartment’s pretty tiny. He'd take up too much space, you know?”

 

Naruto laughed. “Yeah, he’d probably just lay down readin’ his stupid porno, ya know!”

 

“Anyway, dig in!”

 

“Hai! Ittadakimasu!”

 

Kaiya watched as the three ate, inwardly smiling at how much could be gleaned about each from their eating habits. Naturally, Naruto was the loudest, though he was far from messy; not a speck of food wound up anywhere but in his mouth once he grabbed it, and he easily cleaned his plate before asking for more. Sasuke was more mannered, and while he didn't eat with quite as much gusto, he also saw to every last grain of rice. Sakura, Kaiya noticed, seemed to be holding herself back, taking smaller portions and eating much more slowly; however, the way her eyes darted over her teammates’ plates whenever they were refilled, it was obvious that she was just as hungry.

 

Kaiya placed another portion of fish onto Sakura's plate and smiled when she protested. “We burn energy just like they do - and especially with these two, you're gonna need your strength to keep up!”

 

Sakura nodded but looked downcast. Kaiya filed this away and tried striking up conversation among the three weirdly quiet teens. “So - a little bird told me that you're entering the Chunin Exams!”

 

“Eh? What bird? I thought I just told you!”

 

“She means Kakashi, idiot.”

 

“…I knew that!”

 

“Anyway,” Kaiya stressed, drawing their attention back. “If you had any questions about what it’s like, now’s the time to ask!”

 

For a second, they just stared at her. Sakura spoke up a little hesitantly. “But…I thought you weren't supposed to talk about what the exams entail. It's on that form we have to sign - the instructors aren't allowed to give anything away that the participants may face in the tests.”

 

“First of all, I'm not an instructor,” Kaiya said with a wink. “Not even a Jonin. I've only been in one exam myself, but trust me, I've had my ear to the ground since then - there's a few patterns I've picked up on. Second - I don’t just mean ask me about the exams. I _am_ a Chunin, after all. I was promoted around the same age as you guys.”

 

Naruto’s eyes brightened and he half-sat up in excitement. “So it’s totally possible for us to win this thing, then!”

 

Kaiya sighed. “Possible? Of course. I wouldn’t doubt it. Believe it or not, Kakashi speaks highly of you three. However…you should be prepared for what happens if - when - you do pass.”

 

“Whaddya mean, ‘what happens when we pass?’” Naruto asked, scratching his head. “We’d be Chunin, right?”

 

“Exactly,” Kaiya nodded. “You know that A-rank mission you were on? While it’s still unlikely a Chunin would receive missions like that on a regular basis, it’s much easier for a B-rank to become A-rank in the right circumstances. In other words…your missions will get a lot more difficult and a lot more deadly. Take the missions my team does: most are B-rank these days, meaning we expect combat to be possible, though a big part of our parameters are in making sure that _doesn’t_ happen. Still…a couple of times, they turn A-rank because of the ninja we wind up facing, or unexpected circumstances.”

 

Naruto’s eyes went round in admiration; even Sasuke straightened a little. “So you’ve faced Jonin before?”

 

“A few times,” Kaiya confirmed. “Granted, it was often a three-on-one scenario, but the point is, there’s always a chance of facing someone stronger than you, and as a Chunin, that chance becomes a lot greater. It’s not a case of ‘might’ - you _will_ encounter life-and-death scenarios, and it won’t just be your life on the line. You’ll be in all sorts of teams, sometimes at the head, sometimes under someone else; either way, other lives will depend on you, and you’ll have to depend on others. Now, my team is a bit of an exception to the rule because we’ve exclusively taken missions together since we were Genin; not all squads stay together, though.”

 

“So…” Sakura looked looked to her teammates. “We wouldn’t be ‘Team Seven’ anymore?”

 

“I’m not saying you’ll definitely be split up,” Kaiya said, holding a hand up. “Again, my team stayed together. But it’s possible. It also kinda depends on whether you all pass the exams at the same time.”

 

Sasuke looked up with fractionally raised brows. “It’s possible for just one person in a team to pass?”

 

“Of course. The way the exams are structured, they first weed out entire teams that aren’t ready. Sometimes it’s because their teamwork sucks; a Chunin has to be able to work with anyone they’re assigned with, so not being able to work with the people they’ve trained with for months or even years is a bad sign.”

 

“How do they eliminate teams?” Sasuke asked. “What sort of tests?”

 

“Written tests with combined scores are pretty popular to start with,” Kaiya said, finger on her chin. “I swear, everyone I’ve talked to says their first exam was some sort of knowledge test. But it’s never just about what you know on paper; it’s often a test of mental fortitude as well. How well you do under pressure and all that. For mine, they separated all the team members so that none of us were in the same room as each other - but we had to answer all the questions _for_ our teammates. That meant knowing exactly how our teammates would answer, _and_ being able to trust them to figure this out.”

 

“What’s the point of that?” asked Sakura.

 

“If your team is caught by an enemy,” Kaiya explained, “the most likely scenario is that they’ll split you up for interrogation. The uncertainty - not knowing what’s happening to the others or what they might be telling the enemy - well, it can be enough to break a person even before the real torture begins.”

 

A hush fell over the trio at the word ‘torture.’ They hadn’t considered that a Chunin mission might lead to that.

 

“I’m not trying to scare you away from taking the exams,” Kaiya told them. “But the thing is, if you don’t pass, you’ll just remain Genin until you do. That’s actually the easier scenario. Your missions will remain D and C-rank with a low likelihood of combat; it may seem boring, but it’s safe, and you’ll continue to train and get stronger. If you _do_ pass, you’ll be obligated to take on higher-level missions, including ones where your actions directly affect whether someone else lives or dies. You need to keep that in mind.”

 

Sakura looked defeated at the prospect. Even Naruto looked pensive at that thought; he probably hadn’t thought that far ahead. Only Sasuke seemed untouched; his eyes held the same unwavering focus that they had for years now, the determination that nothing would get in the way of his goal.

 

“We won’t know until we try, will we?” he asked in a low voice from behind folded hands. “Until we’ve taken these exams - until we pass or fail, we won’t know where we stand. I say it’s worth it.”

 

Naruto snapped out of his momentary self-doubt and slammed a hand on the table. “That’s right! We’ll take ‘em and show the whole village - no, the whole _world_ how strong we are! We can do this!”

 

Sakura stayed quiet, picking at the last of her meal, eyes downcast.

 

“Besides written tests,” Kaiya continued, “You can be certain of some sort of survival test. Since the exams are in Konoha this year, it’ll probably be set in one of the higher-level training grounds, ones you wouldn’t have experienced yet as Genin. You won’t just be up against other teams; there’ll also be wild animals, poisonous plants, rough and unfamiliar terrain…all of the survival skills you’ve been taught will be tested here, but keep in mind that you’re essentially in enemy territory the whole time.”

 

“So no fires, and no leaving tracks,” Sasuke surmised, taking mental notes. “We’ll have to keep a constant watch cycle.”

 

“And make sure you find potable water,” Kaiya added. “You’ll have food pills on you - unless they take them away from you for some reason - but water will need to be replenished often.” She smirked. “Unless you happen to know a certain storage seal.”

 

She reached into her pack and pulled out three small tags. “Consider this a little ‘good-luck’ gift - these are Water Seals. Use the sign of ‘snake’ and hold the tag over your canteen; the water will stream out. Let go of the sign when the canteen is full - there’s about three gallons’ worth in each of those, and you don’t want to waste it!”

 

They accepted the tags with wide eyes. “Thank you,” Sakura said, tucking the tag into her own bag. “But…isn’t helping us like this kind of like cheating? If the exams are meant to weed out those who aren’t ready…doesn’t this give us an unfair advantage since we didn’t think of it ourselves?”

 

“I don’t see it that way,” Kaiya said brightly. “Being a good ninja of any rank is as much about following the rules as it is finding the loopholes. ‘See underneath the underneath’ and all. According to the rules, instructors can’t give special preparation or information to the candidates - but I’m not an instructor, remember?”

 

“That’s why you asked us to dinner as a team, but didn’t include Kakashi,” Sasuke commented.

 

“Pretty much! Though I was kinda serious about him taking up too much room, too…”

 

“What else can you tell us?” Sasuke pressed, leaning forward on the table. Naruto subconsciously copied his movements with a nod.

 

“I can say that the last exam is almost always a tournament,” Kaiya said. “Either team-on-team or one-on-one, depending on the nature of the other two rounds. Make no mistake: everything up till the last round is meant to eliminate as many candidates as possible. They don’t want you in the final round unless you’re worth showing off - because that’s exactly what the finals are about. It’s a spectacle. You’ll be fighting in front of an audience of village leaders, nobles, merchants - all of them potential clients. It’s not just about entertainment, though trust me,” she said with a roll of her eyes, “that’s part of it for most of them. There’s a lot of gambling done at these things…But it’s also about showing other nations how strong your village is.”

 

“So we’re representing our village in the last exam,” Sakura said quietly. “Not just vying for a promotion.”

 

“Exactly.”

 

Naruto was practically shivering with excitement. “Bring it on, then! This is perfect - I’ll get to show the whole world what I’m made of!”

 

“If you last that long, loser,” Sasuke muttered, a distant look in his eyes once again. The insult was given by reflex; his true thoughts were inward, so when Naruto began yelling back at him, he didn’t hear. He was thinking of the auburn-haired ninja from Suna whose very presence spoke of power; if he could fight that guy…if he could defeat him…he’d be that much closer to his goal.

 

By the end of the meal, Naruto and Sasuke were clearly ready to jump into the exams without hesitation; they probably had been mentally prepared already. Sakura, on the other hand, had been quiet after Kaiya’s explanations. Kaiya didn’t know the pinkette well, but she found the silence somehow unnatural and heavy. “Ne, Sakura-chan…mind helping me clean up?”

 

“Hm? Oh, sure…”

 

The boys left quickly before they could be assigned any further tasks, but Kaiya was glad to have a moment alone with their female teammate. “What’s up? You look glum.”

 

Sakura pensively dried a dish with downcast eyes. “It’s just…well…to be honest, I don’t know if I should really be taking these exams at all. I don’t know if I’m ready. Sasuke is leagues above me, and even Naruto was able to do something in that Land of Waves mission…but I…I’ve barely done anything in our missions, even the D-ranks. It’s always them; I’m just…useless.”

 

Kaiya chewed her lip in thought. “Do you train?”

 

“Huh? Well, yeah, sometimes…” She looked down. “Not as much as I should. I’ve always been better with books.”

 

“I dunno…” Kaiya smiled slyly. “I saw a pretty mean right hook when we first met. Look - you want to impress Sasuke, right?”

 

Sakura blushed and nodded.

 

“You’re not gonna do it by sitting around and squealing over him,” Kaiya said bluntly. “He’s not going to go for that. Sasuke’s the type that admires strength and effort - well, mostly strength, let’s be honest! If you want him to notice you, become a strong, independent kunoichi - someone he doesn’t have to look after or save. Someone who can take care of herself.”

 

Sakura’s spring green eyes lifted as she considered the advice. “I guess…I always thought that guys wouldn’t want girls who’re stronger or better than them.”

 

Kaiya laughed. “Well, that’s encouraging! You just went from thinking of yourself as lower to saying you’d be better than him, just by putting in some effort! Go for it, seriously! Make that happen!”

 

For a moment, light shone in those green eyes from mirth and hope - but it dimmed as reality weighed down on the pinkette. “How, though? Kakashi-sensei says my chakra control’s the best of the team, and I always did well on written exams in the Academy…but I’ve just average at ninjutsu and taijutsu. I’ve got average chakra reserves, average skills, and I don’t know a whole lot of jutsu…no one in my family’s a ninja, so there’s no one to teach me more advanced techniques…”

 

“Then teach yourself,” Kaiya said with a shrug, putting away the cleaned cups. “Trust me, there are _plenty_ of scrolls for ninjutsu at the library. Just show them your headband and you’ll be allowed into rooms based on your rank. That’s how I learned a lot of simple but useful ninjutsu, actually; I didn’t have anyone at home to teach me either. It’s hard work, and you have to make time to practice on your own, but it’s perfectly possible. Also - if there’s a particular field you think you’re suited for, find a teacher. It doesn’t have to be Kakashi; there are many Shinobi in the village who could work with you, though you might have to figure out exactly how to make them do it!”

 

Sakura’s eyes lit up again with the possibilities; she had great chakra control and was pretty good at detecting and dispelling genjutsu…could that be something she could use?

 

“If you aren’t sure where exactly to look, think about what your role in your team is,” Kaiya added. “In my team, I’m primarily crowd control and infiltration. I can slip in and out of places pretty easily, I can use Kagebunshin really well because I have the chakra for it, I have decent people skills, and I’ve studied enough barrier jutsu to be able to break most of the common ones. Hikaru’s the strategist and genjutsu specialist, so he provides distractions and stays behind the scenes; Gorou takes care of heavy lifting and is basically our ‘tank.’ When there’s fighting, he’s the most active. So what about you? In your team, what do you think is your role?”

 

“Right now? Dead weight,” Sakura grumbled.

 

“You’re smart,” Kaiya argued. “Book-smart, especially. You’ve obviously got a mind for details. If, say, Sasuke comes up with a strategy, you can be the one to poke holes in it to make it work even better. Naruto and Sasuke both are strong fighters, but Naruto especially tends to act before thinking or observing. Be his eyes: watch and analyze your opponents, then pass on what you see. You don’t have to be a heavy fighter in order to be useful, you know. Honestly, I’m not much of a combatant either! But I’m fast and because I know some barrier jutsu, I can split up an enemy group into manageable numbers for my teammates.”

 

The hope was back in Sakura’s eyes, and Kaiya could practically hear the gears turning in her head. “I never thought of it like that…”

 

“In the meantime, keep training,” Kaiya said, putting a hand on her arm. “You’re a ninja, not a damsel in distress!”

 

Sakura nodded. “Mm! Right!” She pumped a fist into the air. “Bring on the exams, then! Cha!”

 

Sakura finished helping Kaiya with the dishes and left with a noticeable bounce in her step. Watching her go, Kaiya heard Naruto’s door crack open and the blond poked his head outside.

 

“Umm…did Sakura-chan leave already?”

 

“You just missed her,” Kaiya told him.

 

Naruto’s face fell. “Aww…I was hoping to…well…walk her home or something…that’s something a man does for a girl, right?”

 

Kaiya’s brows rose high. “Well, I think she’s good to find her own way home! And are you looking for another lump on your head? ‘Cause I’m pretty sure that’s all you’d get.”

 

Naruto stuck out his lower lip and crossed his arms. “Well, at least _I_ try to be a gentleman, ya know! Not like Sasuke-teme!”

 

With a laugh, Kaiya walked over and ruffled his hair. “You are. But…look, I’d turn your attention somewhere else, at least for now. Not just because Sakura’s obviously interested in someone else, but because you three are teammates - the mission, whether an exam or anything else, has to come first. You can’t be distracted with trying to impress a girl.”

 

Naruto’s face turned bright red at having been found out. “You sound like Kakashi-sensei, ya know…”

 

“Well, good!” She knocked her knuckles playfully on his head. “Now listen to your pseudo-sensei here and get some sleep - you’re gonna need it!”

 

“Yeah, yeah…”

 

* * *

 

The day of the first exam, Kaiya had the day off - but she almost wished she hadn’t. The whole day, she felt like she was holding her breath, waiting to hear how the three did. Kakashi was no help; he just pulled out his book and poofed away after she spent ten straight minutes pacing and chewing on her bottom lip.

 

However, upon learning that all three had passed the first round, Kaiya simply laughed and said that of course she knew they would.

 

Mercifully, a short mission took Kaiya’s focus off the second exam. By the time her team returned to the village, the exam was set to be over within a few hours. A shower, followed by hotpot with Hikaru and Gorou, helped keep her mind at ease - until the meal was interrupted by a wet nose nudging at Kaiya’s ankle, making her nearly jump out of her seat.

 

“GAH!” Her heart pounding from the unexpected interruption, Kaiya looked down to see a small, brown pug wearing a blue vest. “What - ?”

 

“Yo,” greeted the pug in a weirdly deep and gruff voice, holding up a paw. “I’m Kakashi’s summons, Pakkun. I need ya to come with me.”

 

Kaiya blinked. “What for?”

 

“He didn’t say. Seems urgent, though. You comin’ or what?”

 

Kaiya looked to her teammates, at a loss, but they just waved her off. “Go ahead,” Hikaru assured her. “We’ll take care of this.”

 

“Yeah, have fun with Mr. Copy-Nin!” Gorou called. Kaiya flipped him the bird behind her back as she left.

 

Once outside, the pug glanced up at her. “Think you can keep up if I run? We gotta hurry.”

 

Kaiya raised a crimson brow. Did she think she could keep up with a small dog?

 

Was that seriously a question?

 

Pakkun took her expression as a ‘yes’ and took off without further preamble. Kaiya dashed after him, mildly impressed with the pug’s speed but keeping up without much issue. Over the roofs and into the forests that held the training grounds they went, until they reached the fence of a particular field.

 

“This is the forty-fourth training grounds,” she said as the pug lead her away from the main entrance. “The Forest of Death - isn’t this where the second exam was being held…?”

 

“Yup.”

 

Kaiya’s heart leapt into her throat. “What happened? Is the team okay? What’s going on?”

 

“Kakashi didn’t tell me much,” Pakkun said, sniffing around on the ground. “He just said to find you and bring you here…ah, here it is.”

 

With a push of his paw, Pakkun opened a hidden passageway at the base of a tree and slipped inside. Kaiya followed him down a damp, earthen corridor, flashlight lit, crouching over in the small space until it gradually widened. Once she was able to walk normally, Pakkun again broke into a run, leading her through a maze of increasingly rocky passages; stalactites became pillars, walls more carved out, making the area seem more constructed than natural. Her sense of direction was skewed from being underground, but the length and speed of their travel told her they traveled several kilometers before Pakkun slowed down again. They approached a sort of clearing within the stone-and-earth structure; two large, concentric circles were carved into the floor, and in the center of those circles -

 

“Sasuke!” Kaiya rushed forward to where Sasuke sat with Kakashi behind him, barely noticing Pakkun poof away behind her. She came to an abrupt stop when she saw the symbols Kakashi was drawing on the floor…in blood. This was a Fuin - a seal, and more complex than any she'd ever seen. “What the hell happened?”

 

“Ah, Kaiya,” Kakashi greeted, as though nothing were amiss. “Good that you’re here.”

 

“You called for me! Now what’s going on? Where are the others?”

 

“Up in the tower,” Kakashi answered calmly. “The Second Exam is over - they all passed, but now there are preliminary matches being held to cull the masses before the Third Exam. Sasuke’s is already over - he won, by the way.”

 

“Congratulations,” she said flatly to Sasuke, who gave a mere grunt back. “Now why the seal?”

 

“Oh, so you noticed,” Kakashi commented. “Legend has it the First Hokage’s wife commissioned this site. Something about the energy of the place being ideal for sealing jutsu.”

 

“Save the history for later, will you? Why are we here?”

 

Kakashi looked to his student. “Go ahead - show her your neck.”

 

Brow furrowed, Kaiya approached Sasuke as he reluctantly pulled down the collar of his shirt. Then she saw it: a horrible bruise, so dark it was almost black…or _was_ it a bruise? The triple tomoe shape seemed too precise, and…was that a bite mark in the middle? But what sort of creature left that kind of mark?

 

Something about the mark made Kaiya’s stomach churn. She reached out to touch the mark gingerly, but Sasuke flinched violently away before she could get within a centimeter.

 

“Try that Revelation jutsu,” Kakashi suggested, a dark edge in his voice.

 

Kaiya looked to Sasuke. “Is it okay if I touch it this time? It will only be a few seconds.”

 

Sasuke hesitated, but gave a short nod and pulled his hand away from the mark. With a few simple hand signs, Kaiya activated the familiar jutsu.

 

_Fuinjutsu: Revelation!_

 

It was a jutsu Kaiya had learned back in her Genin days; with it, she could unveil the underlying formula of almost any Fuin. Placing her fingers just around the mark, she focused on sending a small thread of her chakra into it - not enough raw chakra to risk activating whatever it was, but just enough to make the chakra in the seal react. If there was something hiding in these tomoe, it would reveal itself once her chakra came in contact with it.

 

She almost pulled back immediately. What she felt when her chakra touched the mark…it was nauseating, bringing the bitter-sour taste of bile to her mouth and zapping her nerves like an electric shock. This thing…there was indeed a seal in there, but Kaiya had never encountered anything like it before. Most seals were passive, set in place and left there to do a particular job or lay dormant until activated; this thing was…the only way she could describe it was _alive._

 

She fought back the sense of revulsion and forced herself to focus. What was this thing? Now that she looked more closely, she found that the seal was holding something - an energy, a presence…not just chakra, but a deeper essence was woven into the mark. The script - what she could see of it, for it kept writhing and transforming before her eyes - suggested that this mark was meant to unlock something…potential energy? Even now, with Sasuke in a resting state, his chakra was being pulled at by this thing.

 

“It's eating away at his chakra,” Kaiya muttered, alarm making her heart jump. “It releases the body's natural barriers that hold chakra in place, which would flood the system with energy…but it steals some of that chakra as well.” She pulled away with a grimace. “It's a Juin - a Cursed Seal. The more this mark is allowed to feed on, the stronger the presence within it becomes.”

 

Sasuke half-turned, eyes wide with disgust. “So you're saying Orochimaru is in this thing?!”

 

Kaiya's eyes widened in recognition. “Orochimaru - isn't he…?”

 

“One of the Legendary Sannin,” supplied Kakashi. “He was banished from this village years ago. He infiltrated the Chunin Exams - only seems to be after Sasuke.”

 

Kaiya turned wide eyes onto Sasuke, immediately wanting shield him, hide him away from the monster behind that odious mark. For his part, Sasuke just grimaced and looked away, clearly embarrassed at being the center of so much concern.

 

“Your reading sounds pretty accurate,” Kakashi continued. “Any time he uses ninjutsu or activates his Sharingan, it reacts. We have it on good authority that it can also exert some influence over a person’s behavior over time; it’s in all our best interests to seal it now, before it gains any more purchase on his system.”

 

Kaiya looked again at the Fuin that Kakashi had drawn on the floor. The concentric circles carved into the floor had been worked into the formula; this _was_ a ritualistic sealing site. Circles, alters, even symbolic locations were once commonly used as part of Fuinjutsu, though the practice had apparently died with the Uzumaki. This was the first time Kaiya had seen anything like this personally. The circles symbolized the interplay between opposing forces, or several layers of meaning; so these symbols were meant to be read in multiple ways. Most translated to words like _bind_ and _restrict;_ kunai dotted the perimeter of the seal, indicating aggression and “cutting through” obstacles. This was a cage, something to bind the target - the Juin - and keep it from spreading.

 

“You already have the seal written out,” Kaiya muttered to Kakashi. “What do you need me for?”

 

He handed her a clean kunai. “To help with application. I’ll admit, my chakra reserves aren’t stellar; I can do the seal myself, but there’s a chance that the chakra in the Juin would just overpower it eventually. However…with two of us combining our intentions and energy, it should make a stronger seal. Think of this like mixing carbon and iron to make a steel cage.”

 

Kaiya nodded and began to add her blood to the seal so that she could be a part of its casting. Blood was a crude but effective means of connecting one’s chakra to a seal before activation; writing an entire script out in blood made the connection that much more powerful. Starting with the driest symbols, Kaiya nicked her palm and drew over the symbols with her coated fingers.

 

Kakashi guided Sasuke to sit in the center with his shirt off; together, they finished the symbols on the teen’s skin. Her heart pounded; she’d never used such an advanced seal before, and certainly not on someone she cared about, but she couldn’t let doubt cloud her mind now. All that mattered was that Sasuke was faced with possibly a lifetime of fighting off a debilitating Curse that would eat away at his chakra and free will.

 

Of course she would do whatever she could to stop that.

 

When the symbols were in place, she and Kakashi sat side-by-side at Sasuke’s back; Kakashi had her mirror his twenty hand signs, and with each one, Kaiya envisioned exactly what their purpose was.

 

_Bind. Restrict._

 

_Protect. Unchain._

 

_Let no one shape your will but you, Sasuke._

 

Kakashi placed a hand on Sasuke’s back with Kaiya’s laid on top.

 

_Fuja Hoin!_

 

Together, their chakra flowed into the seal. At first, they moved slowly, feeling each other out as much as the Fuin they were powering. The second Kaiya’s chakra touched Kakashi’s, she felt an electrifying jolt, a warm tingle that invaded her physical body. It made her take in a shuddering gasp; she faintly heard Kakashi’s breath hitch as well. Once acclimated, they pushed into the seal.

 

Kaiya’s energy sped ahead of his, clearing the way and wrapping them both around the symbols until all she felt, all she _was,_ was the seal. Then, as one, they pulled.

 

Sasuke cried out as the seal was absorbed into his skin and burned through his pathways. It sought the poison brought in by the Juin like antibodies hunting down a virus; the chakra-empowered seal surrounded the tendrils of dark influence, gathering and dragging it back to the Juin, caging it within a suffocating prison and making it shrivel back behind its tightly-woven bars. Kaiya could almost hear the sizzling of scaly flesh as her chakra incinerated the weakest offshoots of the Juin.

 

The Juin resisted, slippery as a snake and striking fast at the seal that tried to bind it. In her mind’s eye, Kaiya envisioned her chakra like chains that whipped around the slithering Juin as it attempted to escape and overpower them. The more the Juin thrashed, the tighter she bound it, pouring power into the jutsu with a single, clear command.

 

_YOU WILL NOT HAVE HIM!_

 

With a burst of energy, the Juin was forced back behind its bars, cowed by the unexpected power being added to the seal. No - it wasn’t enough! She had to burn it, incinerate it, cleanse it from Sasuke’s system! She would not let it have him!

 

Something encompassed her chakra then - the same crackling energy that she’d come in here with. Kakashi…he coaxed her back, assuring her with his presence that it was enough, that they’d done what they could - that anything else would be wasted energy. Sasuke didn’t need that from them; he needed them sharp in case anything else happened. It all came to her on an instinctual level, and she let go, leaving the seal and coming back to herself.

 

Eyes opening, Kaiya’s vision immediately swam; she’d poured far more chakra into the jutsu than she’d originally intended, and she felt it. Strong hands steadied her; she leaned back into their hold, forgetting for a moment whose it was, still semi-lost in the trance-like state she’d been in for the seal.

 

“You okay?”

 

Kaiya blinked. That voice…she felt it more than heard it, low and rumbling against her back. “Hn…”

 

Her energy came back in a rush, and she suddenly realized whom she was leaning against. She shot up, blinking away the swimming sensation in her head. “Oh! Yeah, yeah - I’m good…”

 

Kakashi shook his head and turned to Sasuke, who was panting and doubled-over. “That seal is only as strong as you are,” he told the teen. “Our efforts put it in place, but your will is what will keep it there. The minute you start to doubt your own power, the minute you start to give in to that Curse’s promises, the seal will stop working. Understand?”

 

Sasuke simply collapsed.

 

“Huh…too tired to even argue,” Kakashi commented lightly. “That’s new.”

 

Kaiya felt a headache mounting behind her eyes. It wasn’t surprising given how advanced that seal was, and she certainly didn’t regret being a part of it, but right now she just wanted a good painkiller. She looked to Sasuke, who was passed out cold on the now-clean stone floor. “Will he be okay?”

 

For a second, Kakashi's ever-present mask of nonchalance slipped, allowing worry to shine through his visible eye. “I don't know. From the way you described it, this thing isn't just feeding off his chakra - it's feeding off his desire for power. It doesn't always matter what the reason for wanting that power is; if the pull is strong enough, a person will do anything for it, regardless of their morals or ethics.”

 

Kaiya wanted to protest, to say that no, Sasuke would never allow something else to command his will. But then she thought of how Sasuke trained nonstop, how every time she found him in a training field, it was with an almost manic desperation in his eyes. “I wish…I wish I knew for a fact that he wouldn’t break the seal on his own. That he wouldn’t turn to something like that for power…but…”

 

“Don’t worry.”

 

Kaiya looked up to see Kakashi giving her a crinkle-eyed smile from behind his mask.

 

“I’m his teacher,” Kakashi told her. “I’ve gotten to know the kid pretty well, and there’s definitely more I can pass on to him. I’ll keep a close eye on him. Plus, I wouldn’t discount Naruto’s influence!”

 

Kaiya gave him a weak smile back; in her mind’s eye, she could see the face of the man who tormented Sasuke’s dreams, the one who was the source of the kid’s obsession with strength. Would the presence of teammates, of people who could be a new family, be enough for someone who’d lost the real thing in more ways than one?

 

She could only hope - and do her part to make sure Sasuke never felt alone. She brushed back some of the teen’s dark hair from his face. “Shouldn’t we get him to the hospital…?”

 

"Oh, I'd stay right there if I were you."

 

Kaiya froze in place. The new voice slithered through the cavern, carrying with it an icy edge that spoke to her most primal instincts. That she could hear the person's slow footsteps was a mockery; she knew in her bones that she only heard them because he willed it. He had no need of hiding. If she ran, she'd be hunted. If she fought, she would lose. The terror paralyzed her, petrifying her muscles so that she could only turn her head to watch the figure emerge from the shadows.

 

The first things she saw were his eyes - gold, glowing in the darkness like those of a nocturnal predator. Then came his bone-white face surrounded by inky black hair that fell in lank locks past his shoulders. That face might have been preternaturally handsome if it weren't for its almost alien nature and sinister grin. The hitai-ate around his forehead showed a single music note - the symbol of the newly formed Otogakure no Sato. Something about him seemed strangely familiar to Kaiya, as though she should recognize him, though she was certain they'd never met. That sense of familiarity was nearly buried by the feeling of pure, hunted terror that nearly overtook her mind.

 

"My, my, how you've grown," hissed the man in a slithering voice. "To think, you're now strong enough to use such an advanced Fuinjutsu!"

 

Kakashi immediately shifted into a defensive position between Kaiya and Sasuke and this menacing figure. "Orochimaru!"

 

The man's grin widened over sharp teeth. "Long time no see, Kakashi-kun."

 

Kaiya's eyes widened further. This was Orochimaru? That was why he felt familiar - she’d felt him in that Juin. This was the person hunting Sasuke…

 

Sasuke…

 

Kaiya snapped out of her fear-induced paralysis and lurched herself to Sasuke's side, pulling out a kunai as she did. It may have been futile, but she'd be damned if she'd let this monster anywhere near him!

 

Orochimaru let out a dry cackle. "How cute! But don't worry, my dear…I'm not here to take him. I want to see what young Sasuke-kun is capable of; I was simply curious about why you brought him here."

 

Kakashi spoke in a low voice so that only she would hear. "Kaiya - get Sasuke out of here when I say, understand?"

 

Kaiya's voice had left her throat; her muscles had seized up again at the sound of the Sannin's voice, but she managed a small noise of affirmation.

 

Orochimaru continued toward them with slow, almost casual steps. "That seal you used won't make a difference. I know our dear Sasuke-kun better than you may think: He is an _avenger_. He will come to me on his own seeking power, regardless of how you try to stop him."

 

"Just what are you planning?" Kakashi demanded. "Why come back now, after all this time?"

 

Orochimaru cocked his head to the side. "Why not? There are so many _intriguing_ opportunities in this village these days."

 

His golden eyes slid past Kakashi as he spoke. Kaiya didn't just see them land on her, she _felt_ their pinning gaze. Her heart raced, and the part of her mind that still functioned screamed at her to flee, get away, hide!

 

Kakashi shifted to block his view and formed a swift series of hand signs. Energy crackled around his right hand in a tamed storm; the sound of a thousand birds filled the cavern. The Sannin squinted as the bright, pulsating light of the jutsu cast sharp shadows around the cavern, effectively blinding him to anything but the ninja directly in front of him.

 

"Even if you are one of the Sannin," Kakashi growled, "I will stop you. You will not use Sasuke as a pawn in your game!"

 

"A pawn?" Orochimaru cackled again, the dry sound matching the crackling of Kakashi's jutsu. "No, Sasuke is a very important piece. I will have him, mark my words."

 

He turned around and walked slowly away, completely nonplussed over turning his back to an enemy. Kaiya wasn't sure whether she wanted Kakashi to attack or not; part of her begged for this _thing_ to be brought down _now_ , but the same primal instinct that told her she stood no chance against him whispered that Kakashi didn't, either. So she stayed where she was, barely breathing as the Sannin's footsteps faded into the shadows. Only when she heard nothing but the faint dripping of condensation in the cavern did she start breathing heavily.

 

Kakashi released his jutsu and quickly crouched by them. "Are you okay?"

 

Kaiya nodded, still gasping, and tried to find her voice. "That was…"

 

"Orochimaru," Kakashi confirmed unnecessarily. "Yes, he has that effect on people."

 

This close, Kaiya could see beads of sweat that had formed along his temples. She swallowed what little saliva her mouth would produce. "I knew the Sannin were a big deal…but I never…"

 

"To be honest," Kakashi said, sitting back on his heels, "if he wanted to kill us, I don’t think we could've stopped him. We got lucky."

 

"That's…encouraging…"

 

"Isn't it, though?" Kakashi retorted.

 

Kaiya swallowed again, her tongue like sandpaper in her mouth. She'd heard a few stories of the Missing Nin, particularly of how he'd left the village after being caught doing human experiments. It was never clear whether those were just overblown rumors or not…now, she decided it was entirely believable.

 

Kakashi hoisted Sasuke carefully over his shoulder. "Let's get him out of here - I'll report this to the Hokage."

 

Kaiya joined him, walking on trembling legs until they reached the sunlight. Once she was breathing fresh air again, her mind cleared itself of most fear, allowing her to mentally examine what had just happened. Then, something came to her mind.

 

“Kakashi…what did Orochimaru mean by, ‘how you’ve grown?’”

 

Kakashi was quiet for a moment, his gaze aimed once again ahead of him. “I had a few encounters with him years ago, before he was banished. That was probably it.”

 

Kaiya nodded and retreated to her thoughts. That made sense, especially with the “Long time, no see” comment. Yet something didn’t seem right. Sure, Orochimaru may have been addressing Kakashi…but she knew with a chill that felt permanently etched into her bones that he had been looking directly at her.

 

* * *

 

Night fell gradually over the village as a lone figure leaned against a tree, watching as the sky went from blue to pink-and-orange streaks. He was accustomed to waiting, had the patience to do so for hours, even days on end if need be. Years of spying had conditioned him to it; further time spent on experiments had refined that conditioning. One couldn’t rush a chemical reaction if one wanted reliable results.

 

His master, for whom he waited now, was less predictable than a chemical reaction. He kept his own schedule, such as it was, without regard for anyone else’s priorities; early, late, on time - anything was possible with him.

 

In the silence of the moment, his eyes drifted toward the horizon. The setting sun turned the sky a fiery crimson, the same color as her silken hair. He took a deep breath: sweet, like summer, just as he imagined she smelled. Fantasizing wasn’t something he was given to; the cruel teacher of life had taught him to be more pragmatic than that. But for a moment…his eyes closed and, just for a moment, he allowed himself to fantasize about how it could be, what it could be…

 

The moment passed when he felt the loosely-concealed presence of his master sidle up to him. “Anything interesting?”

 

“Oh yes,” slithered the voice the Snake Sannin. “I never thought that anyone except Sarutobi-sensei would be capable of something like the Fuja Hoin…perhaps Kakashi-kun copied it at some point.”

 

“Fuja Hoin? Won’t that be a problem for the Curse Mark?”

 

Orochimaru gave a dry cackle. “If it were just Kakashi-kun performing it, no. It would bind the Juin for a while, but young Sasuke-kun would release it eventually in order to access its power. However…” His tongue flicked over thin lips. “There _was_ another person there - a young woman with red hair. If it was who I think it was…this could be interesting, indeed.”

 

His subordinate tilted his head in curiosity, the twilight glinting off his round glasses. Red hair…at the mention of it, his disciplined pulse threatened to race. “I take it you’ll want more information on this person? I’m sure I could get it.”

 

The serpentine grin widened, gold eyes shining in the darkness. “I’m sure you could.”


	5. Strange Encounters

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Headcanon: Instead of the Hokage giving Naruto the last name "Uzumaki," what if he'd coincidentally chosen it for himself? After all, they were trying to keep him secret. Having the name of a famous, nearly extinct clan? Not exactly subtle. So today's flashback plays with this idea a little bit!

* * *

 

_Kaiya laid on her stomach on the orphanage’s classroom floor. It was a rare long weekend for Academy students; she’d taken advantage of the extra time to come to the orphanage for a prolonged visit, playing with the kids and reading them stories, but she also had to bring some homework with her. Before her was a spread of books and scrolls, all about ninja clans and history._

 

“ _Hey, hey!” The familiar, high-pitched voice preceded a weight pouncing onto her back; small, skinny arms wrapped around her neck and a head of spiky blond hair poked out next to hers. “Kaiya-nee-chan, whatcha doin’? Why’re you readin’ all those books an’ stuff? C’mon, let’s play! I made up this new game and it’s super awesome, ya know!”_

 

_Kaiya rolled to her side, gently coaxing the boy off her back. “Naruto, I’m busy! I’ve gotta finish this for school!”_

 

_Naruto pouted and crossed his little arms. “Ehhh? What for? You’re awready super smart and stuff! Ev’ryone says! Why you gotta go to that stupid school anyway? We never get t’ play anymore!”_

 

_Kaiya ruffled his hair with an apologetic smile. “I’m learning to become a ninja, silly! There’s a lot to it, ya know!”_

 

“ _But why you gotta do all_ this _stuff?” Naruto crouched and squinted at the symbols in the books. “Ninjas are fighters! They, like, throw swords an’ make big explosions like BOOM!” He jumped up and spread his arms wide for emphasis._

 

“ _Yeah, but that’s not all they do,” Kaiya told him, sitting up and crossing her legs. “Ninjas also keep order, and the really powerful ones, like the Hokage? They can actually make laws and influence the Daimyo-”_

 

“ _The what-yo?”_

 

_Kaiya shook her head. This was clearly going over the boy’s head and she could see she was losing him. She reached out and tugged him into her lap. “Okay…wanna hear about the clan I’m writing about?”_

 

“ _Clan?”_

 

“ _Mm! Ninja clans - they’re like big families that use special powers and techniques.”_

 

“ _Really?” Naruto leaned his head back to look at her, eyes wide and bright with excitement. “Awesome!”_

 

“ _I’m writing a report on one of them,” Kaiya said, reaching for one of the books. “This is their symbol - it’s actually on a lot of our clothes, see? Since I don’t have a clan of my own, I got to choose one for the project, and no one else wanted this one, so I got it! But they’re actually really cool - they had their own village and everything, and the first Hokage’s wife was one of them! Oh, and a really awesome thing?” She tugged at a lock of her hair. “She was a redhead, too! Who knows? Maybe I’m secretly an Uzumaki!” She tickled him in the sides, making him giggle._

 

“ _Woooowwww…” A wide grin appeared on Naruto’s face as he leaned back to look up at Kaiya. “Ne, ne, when I grow up, I’m gonna be an Uzumaki! Then we’d be like real family! Hey, what about the First Hokage, eh? Was he a clan? I’ll be even better!”_

 

_Kaiya laughed and shook her head. “You mean, was he_ part _of a clan, and that’s not exactly how it works, silly…besides…” She circled her arms tightly around him, making him squirm. “You’re already my family, you know!”_

 

_The next morning, Kaiya joined the rest of the children for breakfast before returning to the village. Just as the wardens were about to announce the start of the meal, a loud, high voice echoed in the hall._

 

“ _Oy! Listen up, everybody!”_

 

_Kaiya looked up and nearly choked on her juice. Naruto stood at the entryway with his chest puffed out proudly, a pillowcase tied around his neck like a cape and swirls drawn in marker on his cheeks and forehead._

 

“ _The name’s Uzumaki Naruto, ya know! I’m gonna be the greatest ninja in the world! Believe it!”_

 

_Some of the kids snickered; others just ignored him. Seeing Naruto’s grin start to falter, Kaiya let out a whoop of encouragement. Inspired by her example, a few other kids joined in, clapping Naruto on the back as he passed on his way to sit next to her._

 

“ _Getting a head start on being an Uzumaki?” she joked._

 

“ _Mm! Mm!” Naruto nodded as he picked up his chopsticks. “An’ pretty soon, I’m gonna be as good as you, Kaiya-nee-chan! Believe it!”_

 

“ _I believe it - but eat your breakfast first, ‘kay?”_

 

* * *

 

 

“That's it, Sakura - keep coming at me like you mean it!”

 

Despite the words of encouragement, Sakura was sure she was reaching her limit. There was no touching the redhead with weapons or strikes - she was simply too fast! For someone who claimed to just be average in taijutsu, Kaiya certainly seemed highly skilled in it. Her blows were quick and precise; it was all the pinkette could do to dodge most of them. She had a kunai in her hand, but as of yet it hadn't even brushed the older girl’s hair. And did she ever get tired?!

 

“If the kunai isn't helping, drop it!” Kaiya called to her as Sakura blocked a kick that would have dented her skull. “Free up your hands!”

 

Free up her hands…Sakura did just that, but rather than drop the kunai, she aimed it as best she could at Kaiya. Kaiya dodged it, but Sakura had already begun her hand signs. Just one more-

 

Another kick came down on her hands, interrupting the flow of hand signs - but with a poof, Sakura was replaced by a log. Substitution jutsu, success! Now behind Kaiya, she finished the hand sign series so that when the redhead turned, the jutsu was ready.

 

It was a strange sight: Kaiya wobbled, thrown off-balance by something she saw just over Sakura's head. She did it - she got her in a genjutsu! Rushing forward, Sakura aimed a punch at the girl’s gut to take her down.

 

Kaiya blocked it with a wide grin. “Nice! You got me there - great feint too, by the way! However…” She flipped Sakura over so that the pinkette landed on her back in the grass. “Genjutsu may not be my strong suite, but I don't think you had enough control over it to keep it going.”

 

Wincing, Sakura sat up and rubbed her sore backside. “I really thought that would work…”

 

Kaiya gave her an encouraging smile. “You just need to work on the jutsu some more, that's all! Was that the first time you've used it in a fight?”

 

“Well, I tried it a few times on my own after Kurenai-sensei showed it to me,” Sakura admitted. “But never in a fight…”

 

“That's awesome!” Kaiya exclaimed. “You learned it quickly then! And you did catch me in the genjutsu, you know - you just need a stronger hold, and I'd have been completely stuck! I mean, to be honest, it's pretty easy to catch me with genjutsu, I'm total crap with it, but still!” She turned an excited grin on the pinkette. “Hey - we can improve together then, you putting me under increasingly strong genjutsu, and me breaking out of it!”

 

“Okay!” Sakura couldn't help but be caught up in the redhead's enthusiasm. “I can't wait to try it out on Ino, too - she'll never see it coming!” Walking back to the village together, Sakura stole a glance at Kaiya. “Ano…thanks for training with me, Kaiya-san. I really appreciate it.”

 

She waved her off. “I told you, Sakura, you can just call me Kaiya!”

 

Sakura smiled. It was a strange feeling, having someone so invested in her growth. Her parents were civilians and had yet to fully grasp what their daughter being a ninja truly meant; her teachers had never paid much attention to her except to praise her for having the textbook-correct answers all the time. She didn't give them trouble and wasn't exemplary enough in other fields to warrant their concern. Their expectations were never particularly low, but they weren't high, either - if they existed at all.

 

Having someone expect more of her, push and encourage her to be better, stronger, who seemed to truly believe she _could_ be…it was invigorating.

 

“So where is that absentee sensei of yours, anyway?”

 

“I dunno,” Sakura shrugged. “I guess he's helping Naruto prepare for his final match.”

 

“Nope, he passed Naruto off on Ebisu,” Kaiya said. “Naruto was complaining about it the other day. Haven’t seen him around either, actually…guess they’re still at it.”

 

Sakura blinked in confusion. “But he can't be training Sasuke-kun, he's still in the hospital…” At the mere mention of the dark-haired boy, Sakura's mood sank.

 

Kaiya noticed. “You worried about him?”

 

Sakura nodded. “He hasn't woken up yet…I've been by every day, but…”

 

“I know,” sighed Kaiya. “I have been, too.”

 

Sakura looked up at Kaiya in surprise. She'd figured out that Kaiya had known Naruto for ages - one just had to see how they interacted to tell that - but she'd assumed that Kaiya's interest in Sasuke was just because he was part of the same team.

 

“I've known Sasuke for several years,” Kaiya explained upon seeing her inquiring glance. “He's a prickly one, but he has a good heart.”

 

“Yeah…I know.” Sakura debated with herself for exactly ten seconds before asking the next question on her mind. “Kaiya-sa - Kaiya…do you have any idea what's wrong with him? Does it…does it have to do with that mark on his neck?”

 

Kaiya was quiet at first. “Sort of.”

 

Sakura came around to her front, spring green eyes imploring. “Please - I was there when it happened, I saw what it did to him - just tell me what's going on! What is happening with Orochimaru? You know, don't you?”

 

Kaiya shook her head with a pitying look. “I don't know. I'm sorry. All I can say is that the mark is being taken care of as best we can so that it doesn't influence him anymore.”

 

“But you can't get rid of it, can you?” Sakura asked, fighting back tears of frustration and dejection. “I looked it up…Curse Seals - Juin - can only be removed by the person who cast them. He's stuck with it, isn't he?”

 

“Not if I can help it.” Kaiya laid a firm hand on the younger girl’s shoulder. “I'll find a way. I'm not giving up on him, and neither should you!”

 

Sakura sniffed and blinked away her tears. “Who said anything about giving up?”

 

“That's the spirit!” Kaiya gave her shoulder a squeeze. “Keep up the good work - Sasuke will be in for a hell of a surprise when he does wake up!”

 

The pinkette gave her one last smile before heading off toward her home. Once she was out of sight, Kaiya let her confident grin fade.

 

What _was_ being done about Orochimaru? When _would_ Sasuke wake up? It had been over a week since the encounter with the Sannin had left a seemingly permanent chill in her bones, and she felt even more in the dark than before.

 

Kakashi was no where to be found lately. Kaiya wondered if, like her, the encounter had shaken him into training almost nonstop. Today had started with a solitary workout, leading into a full morning of working with her team followed by the short session with Sakura. Well, even she needed a break now and then; after that, she would visit Sasuke.

 

* * *

 

“What do you mean, he's not here? He was discharged?”

 

“Not exactly,” the head nurse grumbled to Kaiya. “He disappeared from his bed.”

 

Kaiya had to restrain herself from shouting a loud, _What?!_ Immediately, her heart rate spiked; Sasuke was gone from his bed. Sasuke was missing. Had Orochimaru taken him? Or,,,

 

_No. He NEVER would have gone by himself._

 

Why did she have such a hard time believing that?

 

“He had an Anbu detail watching him,” she hissed to the nurse, who seemed far too calm about the situation. “How did he just disappear?”

 

The nurse sighed and spoke in an equally hushed voice. “He had an Anbu detail on him - that's why we aren't looking. Also - his sensei sent a note for you. Mind telling him we’re not a post office?”

 

She handed a dumbfounded Kaiya the note and left. Kaiya swiftly opened the sealed note and read:

 

_Kaiya - don’t worry about Sasuke; he’s with me, training for the final matches._

 

The hand holding the note dropped by her side; she wasn’t sure whether she felt more relieved or idiotic for nearly panicking. That Kakashi…he anticipated this, hadn’t he?

 

Shaking her head, Kaiya supposed she should be grateful to be kept in the loop about _something_ and headed out into the evening-dimmed streets. All around her, the village buzzed with excitement over the upcoming final matches; it had already been well-circulated that the last of the famed Uchiha clan would be competing, along with several other highly promising candidates. Tickets for general admission had sold out quickly, making Kaiya glad Hikaru had taken care of procuring theirs early on. Vendors were already setting up to cater to the steady stream of guests coming in for the spectacle. Her team had a couple of standard escort missions lined up for the next few weeks.

 

There was no sign that anything was amiss, no sign that a known criminal had already infiltrated the exams - and that worried her.

 

Kakashi had assured her that the Hokage had everything under control. Orochimaru had threatened the village should the exams be disrupted; the fact that they were proceeding as planned should have been a good sign. Yet since the encounter with the Sannin, Kaiya could hardly round a corner without her skin prickling in warning. She’d sent a request to the Hokage’s office for another meeting, but as of yet, she’d heard nothing.

 

_Trust your leader. Wait for orders._

 

With those words repeating in her head like a mantra, Kaiya made her way into Konoha’s secured archives.

 

Every night of the past week had been spent here. Kaiya poured over every resource she could get her hands on - Space-Time ninjutsu, Fuinjutsu, all scrolls she’d read before but now looked at renewed purpose. Her barrier was still clumsy. Hiraishin was still incomplete. She spent her days training, her nights researching, all to come up with _something_ that might have helped when Orochimaru had approached them. She’d replayed the encounter countless times in her head, trying to think of anything she could have done.

 

Nothing. There was nothing in her current arsenal that could have defeated or even delayed the Sannin, had he chosen to be more aggressive. That would not stand. Had she wasted the last several years simply training to be sneaky, to break codes and locking seals rather than bones? How was she supposed to help Sasuke as she was, or Naruto, for that matter?

 

After a few hours, Kaiya pushed away the scrolls with a frustrated groan. There was nothing here she hadn’t already read, and it all seemed so basic now! She was wasting her time here, reading the same words over and over and gaining nothing for it! This couldn’t possibly be everything Konoha had. There must be more, probably restricted to higher-ranking Shinobi or needing the Hokage’s approval…she knew where the restricted room was, she could find a way in - No. She had promised the Hokage years ago that she wouldn’t try to break into restricted areas again. Besides, it was one thing to prove herself a capable ninja by purposefully doing something illicit; it was another thing entirely to prove herself trustworthy of being given the information she needed.

 

And what if…what if there really weren’t any more resources to be found?

 

“You’re working quite late.”

 

Kaiya whirled around in her seat. She hadn’t heard anyone come in; this part of the archives was only supposed to be accessible to those ranked Chunin or above. The person standing behind her didn’t wear a Chunin vest - but then again, neither did she. He had silvery hair tied back in a low ponytail and round glasses that reflected the low reading lights. Something about him seemed almost familiar, but she couldn’t place him.

 

“Yeah, I am.” Kaiya half-turned in her chair as she surreptitiously closed her notebook. “So are you.”

 

“Just looking up some interesting topics,” he said. “Pardon me, but you seem quite familiar. Haven’t we met before?”

 

“Maybe,” she answered. “You a Chunin?”

 

“As of last year, finally!” He smiled sheepishly. “Hate to admit it, but it took me a few tries. But hey, the perseverance counted for something! I’m Yakushi Kabuto, by the way.”

 

“Fuumaki Kaiya.” He seemed friendly enough, so why were goosebumps rising on her arms?

 

“I _knew_ you seemed familiar!” Kabuto came closer and sat in the empty chair next to her. “Fuumaki Kaiya - I remember your final match! I didn’t make it nearly so far that year, but I have to say, you were something to behold! ‘The Relentless Red Flash’ - isn’t that what they were calling you?”

 

Kaiya felt her cheeks color. “I can’t believe anyone remembers that…”

 

“Of course I remember!” He leaned closer. “You were an inspiration to all of us who came from nothing. You showed that you didn’t have to come from a clan in order to make it in this village.”

 

“I was hardly the first,” she deflected.

 

“No, but you were certainly memorable,” he answered. She felt his hand brush against hers; he quickly pulled back. “Sorry, didn’t mean to…”

 

“Look…I’m kind of in the middle of something,” Kaiya said, pulling her own hand away.

 

“Is that Fuinjutsu?” Kabuto’s eyes swept over the scrolls on the table. “Pretty advanced, isn’t it? I didn’t think anyone studied this stuff anymore…”

 

“Not many people, no.”

 

“No…” His lips quirked up in an amused half-smile. “Did you ever hear about that old clan that was supposed to be unmatched with Fuinjutsu? The Uzumaki?”

 

“Yeah, I’ve heard of them.”

 

“That was a silly question, I guess,” he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. “I guess you would have heard of them, huh? Probably more than I have…they’re pretty interesting though, aren’t they?”

 

“Mm.”

 

“I once went on a mission on the coast near where their village, Uzushiogakure, is supposed to be,” Kabuto commented. “The locals all called it a ‘cursed village,’ like it was haunted or something. Makes you wonder what was left behind.”

 

As uncomfortable as he was making her, Kaiya felt her curiosity pique. “The village was destroyed though, wasn’t it? I’d think anything worth taking would be gone.”

 

“Maybe,” Kabuto nodded. “But has anyone actually been there since it went down? Who can say for sure?”

 

”There’s a ban on any country going there. Has been since it went down.”

 

Kabuto leaned in and lowered his voice. “Why would there need to be a ban if there was nothing left? And since when does something like that stop a ninja, anyway?”

 

For some reason, the thought of other nations, other people pilfering whatever Uzushio had left put a sour taste in Kaiya’s mouth. “The threat of war can stop most people.”

 

Kabuto finally backed away. “I think I hit a nerve there…my apologies, it wasn’t at all intended. I’ll leave you to your work.” His eyes lingered on her face as he stood. “It was nice to see you again, Kaiya-san. I hope we meet again soon.”

 

Kaiya couldn’t bring herself to return the sentiment when he finally left. Something about him - his smile, his whole demeanor - seemed…flat. Shallow. Wrong. It left her shoulders tense even after his footsteps faded and made it impossible to open her notebook again. Why did he make her so uncomfortable? Was she just being paranoid? That must have been it - she was still on edge after Orochimaru, still anxious over not knowing what was going on in her own village.

 

What he said about Uzushiogakure…that maybe there could still be something left of their work…no. It just wasn’t probable. Having long been intrigued by the lost village, Kaiya had studied its fall; ironically, there was more information available about Uzushio’s fate after its destruction than of its culture before.

 

If one looked deeply enough into historical records, one would find that Uzushio had been an ally of Konoha from the latter’s inception; the village itself predated Konoha by decades, if not centuries. A truly “hidden” village, it was never clearly placed on historical maps until after its downfall. Unlike the more modern ninja villages, which were built from the coalition of various clans at the end of the Warring States Era, it had only one clan, the Uzumaki - a clan steeped in mystery all them more so because they no longer existed.

 

As far back as the Warring States Era, the Uzumaki’s prowess with the art of sealing was what marked them as a clan; it was also known to be a devastating weapon. Matter, energy, spirits, creatures - they had mastery over them all thanks to their seals. Uzushio itself was known as the Village of Longevity because the Uzumaki were said to have such long lives compared to other ninja…some claimed unnaturally so. In times past, the sealing clan had even been likened to witches and sorcerers of ancient stories, with some legends claiming that their power and resilience came from a contract with otherworldly beings.

 

They were one of the “great clans” of the Warring States Era, alongside the Senju, the Uchiha, the Hyuuga, and the Sarutobi, yet they rarely involved themselves in conflict. Perhaps they rarely felt the need, cloistered as they were in the small island nation known as the Land of Whirlpools. However, once an Uzumaki did enter a conflict, that conflict was said to be over immediately. Their ability to seal away anything and then use it for themselves made them more feared than almost any other clan; sometimes they didn’t even have to demonstrate their skills in order to end a battle. Their mere presence was threatening enough to initiate a surrender.

 

That was how feared Uzushio had been in its prime - not for a kekkei genkai or any other genetic trait, but for a skill that could be learned by anyone, a skill they shared with no one outside of their clan. Eventually though, the fear they instilled in the many enemies they earned stopped being a paralytic and joined with greed for power.

 

When Uzushiogakure no Sato fell around thirty-five years ago, no nation had come forward to claim its victory; to do so would have meant provoking Konoha, Uzushio’s only long-standing ally, into retaliation. The reigning theory was that a coalition, perhaps a mix of small and large nations, had led a secret attack against the reclusive village, laying waste to it in a single night. By the time Konoha got word, the village, and its people, were already gone. The Second World War was already brewing at the time; this would have sparked it into starting a few years earlier. Since then, nearly every treaty signed among the Five Nations and its smaller neighbors included a clause about the remains of Uzushiogakure: No one, even Konoha, was to attempt to excavate under pain of retaliation from the other signing nations. To do so would be considered an act of war.

 

To be so feared and yet also revered for one’s strength…in a way, Kaiya couldn’t help but feel envious. That was a sort of power that had to be earned, the sort that no amount of training could guarantee. Orochimaru had that sort of power; it was in how he could make a seasoned Jonin freeze in terror, how he could dictate the actions of an entire village through a single threat.

 

What would she do with that sort of power? Would she even have to do anything, or would the reputation alone be enough to deter those who would threaten her or her loved ones?

 

_It’s not about being feared, Kaiya,_ she heard her sensei’s voice tell her. _It’s about building understanding and setting examples others will want to follow._

 

Had he ever faced a Sannin, though? It wasn’t like she _wanted_ a reputation, but it certainly seemed useful at times. And what she wouldn’t give to visit the ancestral home of a clan that had held her imagination for years!

 

_Why would they need a ban if there was nothing left?_

 

Scraping her lower lip against her teeth in thought, Kaiya wondered if maybe Kabuto had a point there. Maybe there was something left to be seen in Uzushiogakure…but so long as the ban was to be honored, she’d never have the chance to find out. With a sigh, Kaiya resigned herself to what books and scrolls Konoha still had.

 

* * *

 

It wasn’t until a week before the final matches that Kaiya finally received a summons to speak with the Hokage. She took the stairs two at a time, hoping that the Elders wouldn’t be there; she didn’t want to explain her sudden interest in Juinjutsu to them. The Hokage would understand. He was known to many as “the Professor” and was said to have studied every form of jutsu known to the village; surely he would see why she was requesting access to restricted materials.

 

Thankfully, she didn’t have to wait when she arrived at his office. “Ah, Kaiya - come in, come in! Thank you for coming on such short notice - close the door behind you, will you?”

 

No Elders, she noted with a breath of relief. That was a good sign. “Thank you for seeing me, Hokage-sama. I know things must be busy right now.”

 

The Hokage picked up his long pipe and deftly stuffed the end with minced dry herb. “What did you wish to discuss?”

 

Kaiya blinked. Her request should have been clear, but she supposed now was as good a time as any to ask other questions that had been on her mind. “Sir…if I may…what’s being done about Orochimaru? We know he’s after Sasuke for some reason, but is that all? And what about Otogakure - he was wearing their hitai-ate -”

 

“I am aware, and two Oto candidates who failed their preliminaries are being questioned,” Sandaime interrupted. “We have Anbu operatives looking into their village. Understand that I am telling you these things because you are already involved in the matter - none of this is to leave this room. You cannot tell even your teammates.”

 

“Why not?” Kaiya asked before she could catch herself. “Why is this being kept secret?”

 

Taking a drag from the pipe, the Hokage looked at her thoughtfully before responding, letting out a stream of sweet-smelling smoke as he did. “Consider this scenario: All of our troops know that there is an S-class Missing Nin on the loose in the village. Everyone is on edge because of it, on the lookout for anything out of place. In just over a week’s time, we shall receive a multitude of guests - the Daimyo, other officials, merchants, other prospective clients, along with vendors seeking to turn a profit from the festivities.”

 

“Lots of strangers,” Kaiya summarized. “Lots to seem ‘out of place’…”

 

“Exactly. For now, there is nothing anyone below Jonin rank can do about Orochimaru; there is no point in riling people up when there are other matters to be seen to.”

 

“But what if he’s planning an attack?” Kaiya insisted. “Shouldn’t we be preparing for that?”

 

The Hokage smiled around the pipe. “I have faith in everyone in this village. While we have not seen an attack in over a decade - thank goodness - every Shinobi is well-trained on what to do in case of an invasion. I have little doubt that should an attack come, we will weather it. As for Orochimaru himself…” Now he closed his eyes, brow furrowing ever-so-slightly. “I am fully prepared to do what must be done. He was my student, after all - my responsibility.”

 

With a pang, Kaiya wondered what this must be doing to the Hokage. She’d completely forgotten that he’d been the Sannin’s sensei once upon a time; if their relationship had been anything like her own team’s with Yuuma, how must the Hokage feel now about his student being a wanted criminal? How must he feel about whatever horrible things Orochimaru had done, what sort of things he now threatened to do?

 

Even as sympathy weighed on her heart, Kaiya saw in her mind’s eye the mark on Sasuke’s neck. Her hands clenched into fists. “What about what he did to Sasuke?”

 

Another puff of smoke. “I looked over your request. It’s understandable that you’d want to study Juinjutsu, given what has happened to him.”

 

‘Understandable’…somehow, this already felt like a rejection.

 

“…but I’m afraid I cannot allow it.”

 

There it was. “But sir, there has to be a way to break Cursed Seals - I’m sure there is! I saw how that thing worked; if I can just-”

 

“The answer is no.”

 

“Why?” The question was out before she could think better of it. She could already hear the admonishment of the Elders in her mind, even though they weren’t there: _Are you questioning your Hokage?_ Well, yes. Yes she was. “You know I wouldn’t use Juinjutsu on anyone - I just want to find a way to remove it! That could be beneficial to others in the village, too!”

 

The Hokage sighed, taking a drag before answering. “Juinjutsu of any sort is forbidden knowledge for a reason, Kaiya. I understand that you wish to help Sasuke, I really do. But there is simply no way to break a Cursed Seal; either the caster removes it themselves, or the seal disappears with the caster’s death. Those are the only two options.”

 

“But-”

 

“You want to help,” he interrupted, sympathy coating his voice. “I understand. However, an obsession born of love may blind you as much as motivate you. You may wind up spending so much time and effort on that one goal that you neglect to consider other possibilities. There are things that we cannot change, Kaiya, and there are things we can - wisdom is in recognizing the difference.”

 

“But how will we know if no one _tries_?”

 

“How would you try? Would you test out your theories on Juin-breaking on another person before Sasuke, knowing the dangers? Would you attempt to extract a demon spirit from another person before Naruto?”

 

Kaiya fell silent. She hated to admit it, but she hadn’t thought about that. Any ideas she came up with would have to be tested, but was she willing to put other people at risk for that?

 

“People have tried,” the Hokage said, his voice quieter, more solemn. “People like Orochimaru, who made that Juin in the first place. I know you want to help Sasuke, Kaiya, and what you've done already _has_ helped; now we must give it time.”

 

Head hanging, Kaiya could only let out a soft, “Hai.”

 

“You did excellent work,” he assured her. “Kakashi is certain that he could not have done better by himself. It may be that your chakra is particularly suited to such jutsu - perhaps there is even a touch of Uzumaki in you,” he added, eyes twinkling.

 

Kaiya tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “Heh…maybe…”

 

Sitting back in his chair, the Hokage laid down his pipe. “Thank you, Kaiya. Both for what you did with that seal, and for always looking out for those boys. As Hokage…I try to look after all of the villagers, but sometimes…sometimes, I need help. And you have helped.”

 

Kaiya didn't know what to say. Her cheeks warmed further. “I…it's nothing, really…”

 

He let out a quietly amused grunt. “Now isn’t the time, but after the Chunin Exams are over, I’d like to discuss your future a bit more. For the time being, before you go…there _is_ something I wish you to have. Well, I say ‘have,’ but I cannot allow these to leave this building; you may use my study to peruse them at your leisure, though…”

 

From a small stack behind his desk, he took two long, slim scrolls, one pale blue, one yellow. Both were closed with a special seal - a Hokage's seal - which Sandaime deactivated before handing them to Kaiya. “Let's just say…your work does not go unnoticed.”

 

When she opened the first, she was met with a symbol she’d never seen before: It looked like a stylized, double-ended trident with two concentric circles in the center. Concentric circles again - her mind immediately went to the sealing site beneath the Forest of Death and what they meant: layers of meaning, or…intersecting realms. When she looked more closely, the entire design was made of minuscule script; the symbols referenced movement, lightning, time and space…

 

Eyes widening, Kaiya realized she’d seen elements of this formula before; when she opened the scroll further, her suspicion was confirmed.

 

“This is…” She could scarcely breathe the words for the excitement that stole her breath. “Nidaime’s Hiraishin jutsu!”

 

With her eyes glued to the scroll, she didn’t see the soft smile that crossed the Hokage’s face. “And the other was Yondaime’s. Both men were fastidious in keeping records of their creations, though I think you’ll find that their styles were markedly different.”

 

Kaiya didn’t even think to ask how the Hokage knew that she was working on Hiraishin in the first place; right now, she didn’t care. She was holding scrolls with the details of both the Second and Fourth Hokage’s work on Hiraishin! With these, she would not only be able to see how the formulae worked, she’d see how they came up with them in the first place - keys to making her own! “Thank you, Hokage-sama! You have no idea what this means to me!”

 

“Oh, I think I might,” he chuckled, producing a small key from his sleeve. “Here - go to my study to read up; these scrolls are not to leave the building, understood?”

 

“Hai!” She took the key and bowed deeply. She could have hugged the man; her entire body vibrated with excitement and gratitude. “I’ll return them as soon as I have what I need - thank you, thank you!”

 

“Off you go, then,” he waved. “And Kaiya…” She paused, already halfway across the room. “I have little doubt that in time, you will not only master Hiraishin, but other seals as well. However…remember that Uzushio was not just famed for their prowess in Fuinjutsu - they were feared to the point of destruction.”

 

Kaiya bowed her head at the implied warning. “Hai, Hokage-sama. I will remember.”

 

If she had looked up, she would have seen the old man’s eyes soften affectionately, wistfully. “I'm sure you will.”

 

* * *

 

The night was balmy, the air close with humidity under a waxing moon. Vendors lined the streets, ready to open their tents to the onslaught of tourists and guests the village was to receive in the next few days, though for now all was quiet save for the soft chirping of crickets and the faint hum of nightlife.

 

Underground was far cooler, the stone and concrete walls keeping the supposedly abandoned bunker insulated against the sun’s warming rays. Here, an unnatural silence reigned among halls lit dimly by generator-powered lights; when sound penetrated the still air, it was in the form of a steady _click, click, click_.

 

Silence fell briefly once more, to be broken by a voice like gravel coated in oil.

 

“Why are you here?”

 

“Oh, can’t I visit an old friend?” Golden eyes glinted in the darkness. “How’s the arm, by the way?”

 

The man whose cane had punctuated the quiet of the halls scowled. “You’re drawing too much attention to yourself…as usual.”

 

“What can I say? I simply haven’t your self-discipline to deny my impulses, especially when there are such _tempting_ specimens about.”

 

“You mean the Uchiha boy.”

 

“Oh, not just him. I came across another rather colorful character the other day.” An amused grin stretched across thin lips. “She still hasn’t been told, has she? I’d have thought Sarutobi-sensei would’ve given into his sentimentality long ago regarding that matter.”

 

The other man’s visible eye narrowed to a slit. “Do not push your luck, Orochimaru. Doing so is what got you banned from the village last time; if you truly want this plan to succeed-”

 

“As long as I get what I want, I don’t care what happens with this little village,” said Orochimaru, waving him off. “I’m simply having some fun.”

 

“’Fun’ is starting a war between the Leaf and Sand?”

 

“Oh, don’t act so high and mighty - you have encouraged more than your fair share of conflicts. If it were up to you, the last war would have continued for another decade.”

 

“What I do,” growled the old man, “is in the service of Konoha’s best interests. We have grown too complacent; it is time we were reminded of why we must remain strong-”

 

“You always did love the sound of your own rhetoric,” interrupted Orochimaru. “Don’t worry, old friend - once the plan is carried out to my satisfaction, you can do what you like with the village.”

 

“So long as you get the Uchiha boy.”

 

“Of course.”

 

“And the girl?”

 

“She is intriguing, to be sure,” commented Orochimaru, tongue flicking over thin lips. “Though I prefer my subjects a little younger to start with…as, I would think, do you.”

 

Another scowl deepened the wrinkles on the wizened face of the other man. He reached into his robe and pulled out a small scroll which he pushed into the Snake Sannin’s bone-white hand. “Here. The plan for staging the attack. Do try to keep structural damage to a minimum; it is truly a bother having to rebuild entire portions of the village.”

 

Orochimaru’s grin simply widened before he disappeared into the shadows.

 

* * *

 

It was well after midnight when Kaiya emerged from the Hokage Mansion, her notebook filled to the margins with notes and ideas. The Second and Fourth Hokages’ scrolls had been beyond enlightening; reading them was a dream come true. She felt like she could almost talk to them through their records, wished that it could have been the case so she could debate her own ideas with them.

 

Sandaime had been right: their styles were markedly different. It was evident even in the symbols they chose. Nidaime was straight-forward, his formula laid bare within his chosen symbol; that symbol, she now realized, was similar to the Senju clan’s crest, suggesting a pride in his background that carried into his work. Considering the Senju had been known not for a kekkei genkai or a particular secret jutsu, but for a wide range of innovative techniques, that made sense. Senju Hashirama may have been touted as a “god of Shinobi” for his rare Wood Release abilities, sheer power, and charisma, but Senju Tobirama had been an inventor, someone who gathered information from his experiences and shaped them into practical techniques. Hiraishin and Kagebunshin were just two of the many jutsu he’d contributed to Konoha’s extensive library of secret techniques.

 

Studying his notes and style showed him to be practical, no-nonsense, even ruthless; it made sense, given that he’d been brought up at the end of the Warring States Era. Before the current ninja village system (which had been pioneered by his brother, Hashirama), clans made and broke alliances based on who hired them to fight; it was a time of near-constant warfare with the average age of death for a Shinobi at around twenty-eight. Few made it far into adulthood, even though ‘adulthood’ started early. If she had been born into that era, Kaiya figured that by now, she’d have been relegated to child-bearing, replenishing the fighting forces of whatever clan she’d been born into, probably with a few children under her belt already. And she was only seventeen. Kids like Naruto and Sasuke…they’d already be on the battlefield, seasoned warriors by age twelve or thirteen…or dead.

 

It was no wonder that Nidaime’s approach to jutsu was so practical and straight-forward. There was no room for error, no leeway for imagination or elegance beyond what would make the jutsu work.

 

It couldn’t have been more different from Yondaime’s approach.

 

The Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato, had come of age in a time of conflict as well, but it was clear that he’d also had the privilege of a childhood. Kaiya could almost hear his voice in his writings, clear and calm, yet with a playful edge, just based on his word choice and the flow of his handwriting. He’d managed to both condense Nidaime’s formula and expand its use at the same time, making it ideal not just for getting from Point A to Point B, but also for melee combat and teleporting matter and energy. Nidaime had indicated Hiraishin as a jutsu that could only be used in short bursts; with Yondaime’s improvements, it could be used for extended periods of time with minimal chakra waste.

 

Then there was his chosen symbol: _Nin ai no ken._ Sword of enduring love…This was a man who embraced sentiment while also doing whatever needed to be done, someone who poured his heart into his every act. He was practical and shrewd, yet yielding and even had a sense of humor with which he approached obstacles. This left Kaiya with a conundrum: How was this the same person who’d sealed a demon inside an hours-old infant?

 

Her thoughts churned as her steps echoed through the empty streets. What could have led anyone to seal a demon inside a baby, especially someone who, by all accounts, had been a fair, compassionate leader? Desperation? The Kyuubi had destroyed half the village by the time it was sealed…but surely there had to be better options for containing it than a baby. Now Kaiya wished she could get a good look at the seal he’d used on Naruto; maybe understanding how it worked would give her some insight into why it was used at all.

 

Resolving to submit a new request to the Hokage, Kaiya took a deep breath of the humid night air and gazed up at the full moon. She wondered how Naruto was doing on his training trip with Ebisu; it had been just over three weeks now, surely he must have learned something useful. Was he doing okay tonight? When he was younger, full moons had coincided with disturbing nightmares; he used to describe a terrible, monstrous voice whispering hateful things to him, showing him images of carnage and violence. She’d always assured him that these were just dreams, his brain being weird and twisting his fears and worries, that they had no real power over him…now she wondered if that hadn’t been the Kyuubi trying to influence him in his sleep. Naruto hadn’t come to her with nightmares in a couple years now, though; had they gone away, or was he just dealing with them on his own now?

 

So caught up in her thoughts was she that Kaiya didn’t see the boy staggering in her path until they nearly collided. He was young, maybe Naruto’s age, with a shock of auburn hair; what caught her attention, though, was how he clutched one side of his face as though in pain.

 

“Hey,” she called out softly, extending a hand toward the boy. “Are you okay? What’s the matter?”

 

The boy didn’t answer; his breathing was harsh, containing what sounded almost like a growl. “Not enough…it’s not enough…”

 

Kaiya’s heart rate spiked; something was not at all right about this boy, but she’d be damned if she didn’t try to help him anyway. “Are you hurt? Let me help-”

 

“Don’t touch me!” He swatted her hand away viciously, only then meeting her eyes with his own. Those eyes…it wasn’t the dark rings or almost unnaturally glassy color that struck her, but the spike of pure bloodlust they sent through her system. It made her freeze in shock, seeing such unbridled contempt and coldness coming from a kid. For a brief second, she was struck with a primal sense of being pinned by a rabid predator.

 

She shook it off. This was a kid, and he was obviously in pain. She spied his hitai-ate on the thick belt that strapped a giant gourd to his back. “You’re from Suna, right? Here for the exams?”

 

He glared at her from beneath bare brows, still clutching the left side of his face.

 

“What’s your name?” she tried, taking a tentative step closer. “I’m Fuumaki Kaiya, from Konoha. Are you in the finals?”

 

The raging bloodlust cooled to a calculating simmer. This was no longer a rabid predator, yet he certainly was more than ‘just a kid.’ “Fuumaki Kaiya…why aren’t you afraid?”

 

She blinked. Sure, he put her on edge, but afraid? “Should I be?”

 

He stared at her and slowly lowered his hand from his face. Above his left eye was a kanji - ‘ai,’ or ‘love’…yet she got the impression that it hadn’t been placed there because of any sort of affection. Strange how the same symbol could carry such different contexts.

 

“Interesting tattoo,” she offered.

 

He stared at her for another moment, and Kaiya met his gaze calmly even as her heart pounded in her chest.

 

Finally, he started walking past her, his steps strangely heavy. Her eyes followed him, some instinct telling her to keep him in her sight until he was a safe distance away.

 

His voice, strangely grainy, floated back to her. “Sabaku no Gaara.”

 

“Hm?”

 

“My name,” he said without turning around, “is Sabaku no Gaara. And yes…” Now he twisted his head enough to glare back at her from a single pale eye. “You should be afraid.”

 

He disappeared in a swirl of sand.

 

Kaiya stood rooted in the street for a moment, not knowing what to make of the odd, threatening boy called Gaara. What kind of kid had that sort of look about him? The bloodlust he gave off was almost comparable to Orochimaru’s, yet it was far less…cultivated. More pure. Unpredictable.

 

In a way, that frightened her more than Orochimaru’s deliberate burst of killing intent did. But he was a child, no older than Naruto or Sasuke - what sort of upbringing had he had to give him that look?

 

Wondering just what sort of people this year’s Chunin Exams had unearthed, Kaiya continued on her way, her steps a little quicker this time. It wasn’t long before she came across a sight that had her freezing in her tracks for the second time that night.

 

Blood. The smell of it hit her before the moon illuminated it, but there was no mistaking what it was. The metallic, acrid scent of it threatened to make her gag; she’d always hated the smell, ever since she could remember. It was the scent of suffering, of death and madness and inescapable fate.

 

So much blood…on the streets, splashed across the walls and steps of the building in front of her, peppered along the shingles of the roof. Her eyes swept over the site in numb horror as it became too familiar…but no. That had been streaks and pools; this was…

 

This was _everywhere_.

 

Then she saw it: in the dim light, it almost appeared as a pipe or oddly-shaped log at first, but as a cloud finished passing overhead, the moon illuminated more distinct features: bandages wrapped around it…ligaments hanging from one end, and from the other…

 

Fingers.

 

Kaiya covered her mouth and backed up several steps. Looking around, she started finding other limbs as well, all mangled, with bones and veins and tendons hanging like loose wires. And so much _blood_ …

 

She had to find someone. She had to alert the Hokage, Anbu - someone! She turned around, hand still over her mouth, and started running - only to knock something with her foot. She looked down.

 

A bandaged, single-eyed face stared up at her, the mouth beneath the bandages stretched open in a horrified scream.

 

 


	6. The Final Exam

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The final Chunin Exam begins...and brings back memories of Kaiya's own match.

* * *

 

“ _So who’s up next?”_

 

“ _Let’s see…eh, this is gonna be another no-brainer. It’s a rookie against a Hyuga.”_

 

“ _A Hyuga, eh? I feel sorry for the poor soul.”_

 

“ _Here’s hoping this kid at least puts up a decent fight. She can’t have gotten this far on just luck, right?”_

 

“ _Let me see that-” He took the program from his companion. “Never heard of that name before - damn, she’s young! Must’ve gotten a lot of help from her teammates, I’ll bet.”_

 

_Murmurs like this pervaded the stands as Kaiya made her way down to the arena floor. She wasn’t about to jump over a railing or do anything else flashy for her entrance; let them wait, let them think she’s scared. She chased away the nervous butterflies in her stomach as she entered the field, and instead of granting her opponent eye contact, looked up into the stands._

 

_There was Yuuma with her teammates. Gorou was already shouting encouragements down at her; Hikaru, who’d just ended his own match in a rare draw, leaned on the rail and watched the field with sharp eyes. Yuuma caught her gaze and gave her the smallest nod and smile. She was ready for this, the gesture seemed to say. She returned it._

 

_She was ready…but first, she had to confirm another person’s presence in the stands._

 

_ He was trickier to pick out; he wasn’t at the edge of a rail, nor was he with his other clan members clustered together in one section. She found his cousin first, that head of curly, unruly black hair hard to miss when he wasn’t actively hiding himself. There  **he** was, just next to him, arms crossed, gazing down at her with an unreadable expression. Kaiya fought the urge to bite her lip. His presence both reassured her and made her feel even more anxious, but not from fear. No, she wanted him to see her in this match. There was no one else in the stands she wanted to prove herself to more - not the judges who would decide on her rank, not the crowd that was hoping for a good show, not even her own teammates whom she knew believed in her. She wanted  **him** to see how much she’d grown in strength, to show him that she could stand on her own feet…that she could stand beside him. That she could be someone he could rely on, someone he wouldn’t feel the need to constantly protect.  _

 

_The proctor cleared his throat and she finally turned to face her opponent._

 

“ _Next up…Hyuga Takashi versus Fuumaki Kaiya!”_

 

* * *

 

_**Last time in To Unravel the Night:** _

 

_Kaiya covered her mouth and backed up several steps. Looking around, she started finding other limbs as well, all mangled, with bones and veins and tendons hanging like loose wires. And so much blood…_

 

_She had to find someone. She had to alert the Hokage, Anbu - someone! She turned around, hand still over her mouth, and started running - only to knock something with her foot._

 

_A bandaged, single-eyed face stared up at her, the mouth beneath the bandages stretched open in a horrified scream._

 

Kaiya stared down at the face from her own mask of horror. She’d seen death before, had even taken lives on missions, but never had she seen anything so  _brutal._ This person was barely recognizable as human, so much of his face had been grated away by whatever killed him. 

 

As her breath came back to her, Kaiya remembered her purpose: find someone. Tell someone. Get the hell out of there  _now._

 

Just as she turned around, a familiar voice called out. “Kaiya-san, what are you - what on  _earth-”_

 

Kaiya saw Kabuto coming toward her from the next block, his own hand rising to his mouth when he saw the scene. “What  _happened?_ Are you okay?” 

 

His concern surprised her. Of course  _she_ was okay — the person whose bodily fluids decorated the street wasn’t, though! “Yeah, I’m fine - we have to tell someone-” 

 

Kabuto seemed to ignore her, slowly crouching beside the head with wide eyes. “This…this is an Otogakure ninja…”

 

Kaiya followed his gaze and saw the hitai-ate barely hanging on to the head. A single music note…it  _was_ an Oto nin. 

 

“You’re right, we have to alert someone,” Kabuto said, coming back to stand beside her. “Did you see anyone else?”

 

“No, I was just on my way home…” Wait. She _had_ seen someone else…that boy from Suna, Gaara. But could _he_ have done this? How? 

 

Kabuto watched her face expectantly. “What is it?”

 

She shook her head. “No…i-it’s nothing…”

 

“Come on,” he said, grabbing her arm. “We have to find a Jonin or someone else-”

 

“Anbu.” Kaiya continued to stare down at the hitai-ate, her mind suddenly clicking into gear. “We tell Anbu. They’ll know what to do.”

 

Nothing could disrupt the exams - that had been Orochimaru’s condition made under threat of something worse happening to Konoha. The Jonin might know what was going on, but they couldn’t risk anyone else finding out about this. Anbu answered directly to the Hokage; their specialty was discretion.

 

Kabuto nodded, withdrawing his hand to run it over his tied-back hair. “Okay. You’re right. We don’t want any of the guests seeing this, do we?”

 

Thank goodness he caught on quick. He may have given her the creeps, but at least he was savvy. “I’ll go find Anbu. Kabuto-kun - can you make sure no one comes this way until they get here?”

 

“Sure,” he replied, though he looked a little queasy at the thought of being around the dismembered body. “No problem. Just…hurry, will you?”

 

She nodded. Speed was never a problem for her.

 

* * *

 

After finding an Anbu guard, Kaiya gratefully sat down with her head in her hands. She was surprisingly exhausted, though she wasn’t sure she’d be able to sleep when she got home. First Orochimaru, now a dead Oto nin…and then there was that boy, Gaara. Kaiya couldn’t bring herself to imagine him being the culprit, but there had been no one else around…no, that was stupid. Whoever did that would have high-tailed it out of there, surely. Yet the look in his eyes…that untempered bloodlust…

 

When asked, Kaiya told the Anbu operatives about Gaara and Kabuto; their masked faces gave nothing away at the mention of either, not that she expected to be able to read an Anbu.

 

After she was cleared to leave, she swiped one of the programs for the finals on her way back home. Gaara  _was_ listed - as was the dead Oto nin. So he’d killed a fellow contestant…normally, that would be grounds for disqualification at the very least. The rules of the exams, agreed upon by all the participating villages, stated that candidates were not permitted to kill each other outside of official events. If any candidate were to violate that rule, they, along with all other Genin from their village, would be disqualified and barred from the exams for life. This prevented international incidents from occurring at the otherwise “friendly” event. 

 

Would that be Gaara’s fate? Or would this be considered the sort of “disruption” that Orochimaru threatened the village over? Would the Hokage keep to that “no disruptions” decision after learning about this? The finals were just a few days away now, and guests and vendors had already arrived.

 

After a sleepless night of tossing, turning, and attempting to read, Kaiya woke early and returned to the scene. It was already clean, with no sign of body parts or blood in the street; brows raised, Kaiya had to hand it to Anbu. They really knew how to cover something up. This wasn’t a heavily-trafficked area of town, but the few people who made their way down the road didn’t notice anything out-of-place. As the day went on, she kept her ears and eyes open, but there was no sign of the finals being cancelled or delayed. New programs were printed up quickly, removing the Oto nin from the lineup…but Gaara was still listed.

 

So they weren’t going to do anything. All this effort to cover up a brutal killing…and of another village’s Shinobi, no less. Kaiya’s skin prickled. There  _was_ something bigger going on, and she’d just been complicit in covering it up. Was it right to hide the Oto nin’s death this way, even if it meant preventing a potentially much larger problem from forming? 

 

Kaiya tried to assure herself that this was for the best. No fuss meant no international incidents…no need to scare off potential clients, either. Thinking of it that way left a bitter taste in her mouth. How she wished she could tell Hikaru and Gorou about this…Hikaru would be able to put things into perspective, suss out the larger strategies at play; Gorou would probably be in favor of seeing some sort of justice served. Kaiya felt caught in the middle, unsure of which path to commit to.

 

It struck her then that she’d very easily accepted the idea that Gaara was responsible. He was just a kid - no older than Naruto and Sasuke…but kids all over the ninja world were trained to kill from an early age. Was it so outlandish to imagine that a thirteen-year-old could be responsible for a gruesome murder? Thirteen years old…that was how old  _**he** _ had been, after all, and he’d slaughtered a whole clan…

 

Were some people just born as psychopaths? She didn’t want to think so. She’d seen “troublesome” kids at the orphanage before, children who had been so traumatized that it affected their ability to relate to and empathize with others. Somehow, her impression of Gaara reminded her more of them than any sort of psychopathy.

 

_Fuumaki Kaiya…why aren’t you afraid?_

 

It had seemed a strange question at the time…but could it be that he was just used to people being afraid of him? In a way, it reminded her of Naruto. He certainly had been a “troublesome case” at times growing up. It wasn’t entirely his fault; from the time he moved into the main village to go to the Academy, he had been met with hostile stares and contempt from almost every angle. He’d acted out with pranks and at times returned the hostility he received…but he had people in his life who saw past that. Her, Iruka…there was even the owner of Ichiraku Ramen, who gave Naruto discounted or free meals when other shopkeepers wouldn’t sell to him.

 

Did Gaara have anyone like that in his life?

 

It was out of her hands. As curious as she was, as anxious as she was, there was nothing more she could do about the possible murder of the Oto Shinobi, nothing she could do about the boy from Suna, nothing she could do about Orochimaru and whatever he was planning…there was nothing she could do about any of it! With a frustrated groan, Kaiya took off at a run as soon as her feet hit the street. Nothing she could do but wait…and prepare for anything.

 

* * *

 

The day was bright, just a few clouds in the sunny sky; the humidity had finally lifted, much to the relief of residents and visitors alike. No one liked being packed like sardines into bleachers when one could smell the sweat coming off of each neighbor.

 

Everyone was chattering excitedly about the matches, some already placing bets on who would win, how long each fight would last, which village would have the highest number of passing candidates…the grand spectacle that was the Chunin Exam Finals was about to begin.

 

“Man, haven’t seen a gathering this big…like…ever,” Gorou commented, looking around at the packed stands. “You think this many people showed up for our exams?”

 

“No,” Hikaru responded, browsing a program with the match lineups and short profiles on each candidate. “Perhaps seventy percent of this size. It’s because of Uchiha Sasuke, I’d say - and Suna hasn’t had this much representation in a while, either.”

 

Gorou was a regular at the Chunin finals when they were held in Konoha; he and his brothers often came together, treating it almost like a sporting event. Hikaru didn’t attend nearly as often, though he kept tabs on the candidates’ stats each year. Kaiya never had much interest in the finals after their own were over; it was only because Naruto and Sasuke were in this round that she had insisted they all come.

 

Looking down into the arena, Kaiya saw the candidates gather in the center. Only six so far…Naruto and Sasuke were no where to be seen. Kaiya had seen Naruto’s light on the night before, but refrained from knocking on his door, choosing to let him rest up. Sasuke…was he still with Kakashi?

 

Her eyes drifted to the trio of Suna Shinobi who stood stock-still in the center of the arena. So all three were in the finals…including the auburn-haired Gaara. He looked fairly calm this time, his expression, like that of his teammates’, was unreadable. However, upon further examination, she noticed that the other two Suna nin were glancing at the younger boy frequently, their postures tense.

 

They were afraid of him.

 

Kaiya checked the program again: Gaara was up against Sasuke…she prayed that whatever Kakashi was teaching the latter, it would be enough.

 

“Kaiya-s - Kaiya! Hello!”

 

Kaiya turned and grinned. “Sakura - good to see you! How’s training been?”

 

The pinkette took a seat next to a couple of kids her age and smiled in return. “Not too bad - and I totally got Ino-pig here with a genjutsu the other day!”

 

The blonde girl next to her scoffed. “That was just luck, Forehead! I dare you to try it again!”

 

Kaiya giggled. It was good to see Sakura looking chipper, though as she looked around, her face fell. “Sasuke-kun isn’t here yet?”

 

“Probably thanks to that no-good sensei of yours,” Kaiya replied with a wink. “Don’t worry - he won’t miss this. I’d be more worried about Naruto making it on time right now.”

 

Sakura’s shoulders fell in relief before a look of annoyance passed her face. “That little…he  _better_ not miss his own match, or he’ll be answering to me! Shannaro!” 

 

Kaiya grinned and turned back around. Sakura wouldn’t be the only one Naruto would be answering to if that was the case.

 

“That’s interesting,” Hikaru commented next to her as he flipped to the match lineup. “Naruto is up against a member of the Hyuga clan - just like your first match, Kaiya.”

 

Startled, Kaiya realized that she’d been so preoccupied with the boy from Suna that she’d neglected to consider who Naruto was fighting. She mentally slapped herself; she should have checked with Naruto weeks ago about who he was facing! Heck, she could have given him some tips on how to fight the Byakugan! How dumb was she?

 

Kaiya quickly turned to Hyuga Neji’s profile. A member of the branch family…yes, that did sound familiar to her. But the star rookie from the previous year…that was different. Chewing her lip, Kaiya suddenly felt worried for Naruto’s well-being in this match…if he even made it to the arena in time.

 

Naruto finally arrived just before the proctor was forced to disqualify him. Kaiya breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of him, shaking her head at his tardiness and wondering where in the hell his dark-haired teammate was. Scanning the stands, she saw no sign of Kakashi, either; she hoped the sensei’s habits weren’t rubbing off on the student. Either way, she was pretty sure the proctor would neither delay the matches further nor disqualify Sasuke for not being there yet. He was the main attraction, after all - couldn’t disappoint the crowds. She turned her attention to the two teens facing each other in the arena.

 

“Hyuga Neji versus Uzumaki Naruto…begin!”

 

* * *

 

“ _Hyuga Takashi versus Fuumaki Kaiya!”_

 

_Kaiya faced her opponent, rubbing her arm in a self-conscious manner. Hyuga Takashi was a few years older than she, taller, more filled out. His pale eyes stared down at her with a haughty expression that told her exactly what he thought of her._

 

_Her temper threatened to flair at the sight of his sneer, but she forced it back down. Let him think whatever he wanted; as Yuuma said, she could turn it to her advantage._

 

“ _Begin!”_

 

_Takashi’s eyes turned white, the veins around them popping from his skin as chakra was pumped into their orbs. Those eyes, the Byakugan, could see through anything; he was studying her chakra, finding every one of her three-hundred-sixty-one tenketsu points._

 

“ _So pathetic,” he drawled, not even bothering to drop into a fighting stance. “You’re only here because your preliminary opponent forfeited. What makes you think a nobody like you can stand up against a Hyuga?”_

 

_Kaiya blinked, feigning innocent ignorance. “I thought you were just part of the branch family. Isn’t that like being second-class?”_

 

_White eyes narrowed; his jaw clenched. “Little brat! Well, come on - show me what you’ve got!”_

 

_Shuriken appeared in Kaiya’s hands; she let them loose at Takashi. He deflected the ones that got close, but a few had explosive tags tied on. They went off, creating a smoke screen around the field._

 

“ _A smoke screen,” Takashi drawled, dropping into a fighting stance but otherwise not moving. “Against the Byakugan. Really.”_

 

_He turned and blocked the blows Kaiya attempted from his back, swatting her hands away like flies. A powerful kick to her center sent her flying backward. “Oof!”_

 

“ _You don’t know anything, do you?” Takashi mocked. “I did a little research on you, of course - Fuumaki Kaiya. No clan, no family - a nobody. That was all I needed to know. You claim to know about the Hyuga’s branch family - you won’t get to see our techniques here today though, you’re hardly worth the effort!”_

 

_Kaiya scrambled to her feet as he drew closer. He jabbed; she blocked. Right hook; she narrowly twisted out of the way and sent a kick to his knee. No use - he blocked. They continued trading blows, his almost lazy as she desperately tried to keep up. Finally, she managed to duck under his arm and dart away, putting some distance between them._

 

_Takashi snorted, watching her shrink back as he drew closer, bringing her hands to her front. “Like a scared little rabbit…did you seriously think you could win against a Hyu-”_

 

_Suddenly, his eyes went wide. He swiftly reached around to the back of his shirt and peeled off an explosive tag Kaiya had planted when she ducked away, throwing it out of range just in time for it to go off. He growled in her direction. “Little bitch!”_

 

_Kaiya held back a smirk. He hadn’t noticed the tag because until she made the hand sign, it hadn’t been active. It had just been a piece of paper; inconsequential. It was a small modification she’d made to some of her explosive tags over the past few weeks, and she was glad to see that it almost worked._

 

_Now Takashi was running for her. Kaiya brought up her arms as he bore down, his palms open as he jabbed and struck. She evaded many of the strikes, but a few landed - thankfully, he wasn’t aiming for her tenketsu points…yet. Bolstered by bursts of chakra, though, they did hurt like hell. She hissed as she was forced back against the arena wall._

 

“ _Thought I wasn’t worth using Gentle Fist on,” she spat, arms shaking as she caught his hands in her own._

 

“ _Changed my mind,” he growled back, veined eyes boring into her blue ones. “I’m going to make an example of you, little girl.”_

 

_Clenching her jaw, Kaiya braced herself. This was going to hurt._

 

* * *

 

One by one, Neji took out each of Naruto's Shadow Clones. He approached the last figure standing with a smirk. “You’re the one keeping out of range for fear of my striking. The more the others attack, the more you stand out for holding back. You’re the real one, aren’t you?”

 

Naruto spat out some blood…then laughed. “Oh yeah? I told you it was a mistake to count me out!”

 

_Poof._ He was gone. 

 

“You thought I’d be too much of a chicken to attack you myself?! Well, think again!”

 

Kaiya grinned as the real Naruto attacked Neji from behind. The grin faded when she saw what looked like a field of energy surrounding the Hyuga.

 

She’d never seen that in her own fight against a Hyuga. Kaiya watched with trepidation as Neji took another stance.

 

_Eight Trigrams - Sixty-Four Palms!_

 

* * *

 

“ _Man, that’s harsh.”_

 

“ _Bet you the proctor’ll step in any minute now.”_

 

“ _No way she’s gonna last another minute…surprised she lasted this long.”_

 

_It had been twenty minutes since the fight began - almost a record by one-on-one match standards. Kaiya was practically heaving, doubled over on the arena floor; she sank to her knees, clutching the nearly useless arm that Takashi had jabbed with his Gentle Fist. She’d used Wind jutsu to push him back twice, Water jutsu to try and slow him down, and more explosives to keep some distance between them. She’d even managed to cut him shallowly in the shoulder with a kunai, though she doubted she’d be able to pull that trick off again. He had no blind spots…she knew the Byakugan were good, but this was insane!_

 

_Thankfully, he was also out of breath…but seeing her kneeling, he grinned and approached her._

 

“ _All those little tricks, and you barely scratched me,” he panted. “I told you: you can’t win against the Byakugan. You’re a nobody. A freeloader who got by on the merits of others…look at you now. Your chakra’s nearly out. You can barely move. It’ll only take one blow to take you out for good. Heh…maybe I’ll even put you out of your misery. Not kill you - just leave you unable to use chakra properly ever again. How about that?”_

 

_Kaiya continued to gulp in air as he came closer, limbs shaking from pain and exhaustion._

 

“ _It’s about time you learned your place in the world, little girl.” A lurid smirk twisted his features. “Though it looks like you’re starting to learn it, on your knees like that!”_

 

_He reached for her hair, ready to pull her up and deliver the finishing blow._

 

_His hand met only air._

 

* * *

 

Against all odds, Naruto stood up. “I told you…I just don’t know when to give up!”

 

Kaiya inwardly cheered. The two threw verbal jabs back and forth, Neji spouting some doctrine of fate and how no one could escape their destiny. Kaiya was proud to see Naruto refute him at every turn.

 

Then Neji took off his hitai-ate, revealing a mark on his forehead. “You think fate has nothing to do with it?”

 

It was a Juin.

 

Kaiya’s eyes went wide; her breath stopped in her chest. A Juin…a Cursed Seal on a Konoha Shinobi?

 

And this was allowed?!

 

Kaiya’s eyes lifted to the Hokage’s stand. She didn’t want to believe it, didn’t want to ask the question even in her own head: Was this why the Hokage had refused her request to look into Juinjutsu?

 

Her stomach churned as Neji told of what the Juin did: how it could be used to inflict terrible pain at the will of a Main Branch member, how if necessary, it could kill the wearer for disobedience.  _Only in death are we free of it._ In death, the Byakugan were forever sealed, rendering them useless.

 

Kaiya’s hands fisted in her lap. She wasn’t sure what disgusted her more - that a Juinjutsu was allowed to be used by anyone in the village, or the ‘life for a life’ deal that had been struck between the Hyuga and the village to prevent war with Kumogakure. Sending another man to die in Hiashi’s place - his own twin brother…

 

“That is messed up,” growled Gorou beside her, echoing her own thoughts on the matter. “Jeez, what is it with clans, anyway?!”

 

A cool hand covered Kaiya’s own. Hikaru gave her a look that said,  _Calm down._ “It’s hardly surprising that it came to that. To prevent a war that could kill thousands, a single life is a relatively small price to pay.” 

 

“It shouldn't have had to be paid at all,” Kaiya hissed. “’A life for a life’…that’s bullshit!”

 

“Agreed,” Hikaru replied calmly. “But I’m afraid we may be in the minority on that opinion. Yuuma-sensei’s ideas aren’t exactly held by all; you know that.”

 

Kaiya looked away. No, their teacher’s pacifist notions that decried eye-for-eye justice as mere vengeance weren’t popular. But how could Konoha have allowed this to happen?

 

“Yeah, well, Kumo was in the wrong there,” Gorou argued. “I can’t blame ‘em for wanting to avenge their buddy, but still!”

 

“It doesn’t matter who was wrong or right,” Hikaru retorted. “And you can be sure that it wasn’t about revenge. Kumo wanted the Byakugan, and they used their comrade’s death as an opportunity to get it; likewise, Konoha had an opportunity to prevent them from gaining that asset. It was a zero-sum situation, and in the end, the lesser of the two evils prevented a war.”

 

“You can be a real ass sometimes, you know that, Hikaru?” Gorou shot, leaning over Kaiya’s seat. “That kid down there lost his dad because of this!”

 

Hikaru opened his mouth to retort, but Kaiya stopped him with a glare. “Just…stop, okay? We get it. No good choices. Now shut up - the match isn’t over yet.”

 

She didn’t want to think about zero-sum situations or choosing between two evils. She didn’t want to think about what consequences her own Hyuga opponent must have faced after their match. She wanted to see Naruto win this fight - both the physical one and the mental one that the Hyuga boy had started.

 

_Fate, destiny…bullshit. Your ‘fate’ is whatever you make of it!_

 

* * *

 

“ _Sorry, what was that about my ‘place’ in the world?”_

 

_Takashi turned in surprise. Kaiya stood behind him, dirty, scratched up, her right arm nearly limp at her side - but completely steady. Takashi gaped. “How - ? But you shouldn’t have enough-”_

 

“ _Shouldn’t have enough chakra?” Kaiya gave him a cheeky smirk, then raised her good hand to the crook of her elbow. Pressing her fingers, she revealed the black script of a seal. “Kai!”_

 

_The seal disappeared - and with it, all the color in Takashi’s face. “Im-impossible…”_

 

_Kaiya had an idea of what he was seeing. That seal had taken her the entire month to perfect, though she’d started work on it well beforehand. It was a masking seal - a way to disguise her chakra signature without having to suppress her ability to use ninjutsu. To Takashi’s sharp eyes, she had begun the match with little more chakra than she’d had when she was exhausted after the five-day survival test during the preliminaries. Now, she imagined her chakra system burned brightly in his eyes. Sure, she’d taken a few hits during their drawn-out fight, but she’d lasted longer than this in training exercises._

 

_Takashi grit his teeth and growled. “You little…well, if you think you’ll win on stamina alone, you’re in for a world of hurt! Do you have any idea the sort of training a Hyuga goes through from the time we can walk?”_

 

“ _You fight a thousand spars in a row,” she answered coolly. “Assuming you don’t drop first…which you often did, I hear.”_

 

_Takashi stared wide-eyed and open-mouthed, his cheeks tinged pink. “How do you…”_

 

_Kaiya shrugged. “I did my research, too…Branch Member.”_

 

_The verbal jab worked. Takashi roared in indignation and sped toward her. This time, Kaiya didn’t let him land a single blow. She side-stepped, ducked, feinted, using her full speed for the first time in the entire match. She was sure the Byakugan would be able to follow her movements, but Takashi was physically near his limit. She’d made sure he expended as much energy as possible during their first twenty minutes, keeping him on his toes and just out of range from causing her any real damage. He’d taken her bait of appearing weak and nervous, his pride coloring his perception._

 

_Now he would find out just how big a mistake that had been._

 

_Kagebunshin no jutsu!_

 

_Several copies of Kaiya poofed into existence around Takashi, each wearing identical smirks just to further piss him off. The angrier Takashi grew, the more energy he’d expend, and the less accurate his strikes became. She’d noticed that throughout their fight; he had an easily riled temper, and she planned to exploit it to the very end._

 

_By her math, twenty minutes was about the length of at least forty spars; from what she’d been able to gather, Takashi had only ever lasted about eighty. He’d expended too much energy already in this match, emotional and physical. However, she wasn’t exactly at her best now, either. The few hits he’d gotten in had all but taken out her right arm, and each of her clones showed the same injury. Kagebunshin only required one sign; she wouldn’t be able to manage more than that. This had to finish quickly._

 

_Thankfully, speed had never been an issue for her._

 

_Kaiya and her clones leapt forward. They kept Takashi moving, swerving to avoid some blows and block others, so that he could scarcely take in a reprieving breath. His jabs made contact with several bodies, which poofed out of existence, but Kaiya continued her attack all the same. One by one, her clones disappeared, but Takashi had taken several hits by the time they did._

 

_At last, it was just the two of them, panting, bloodied, but neither willing to back down yet. Kaiya unsheathed a kunai in each hand; Takashi adjusted his stance; then they clashed again._

 

_To the audience, their moves were but blurs of red and brown; when they stopped to breathe, each bore new marks of their conflict. Yet the fight continued, Takashi refusing to yield, Kaiya refusing to let up. Gradually, his movements began to slow, his strikes becoming less aimed, more frenzied. Then, at one such break, the crowd gasped. With only one good arm, Kaiya managed to land a kunai directly into the juncture of his shoulder and chest, not hitting anything vital, but taking his own arm out of commission._

 

_Kaiya took out another kunai as Takashi grasped at the one in his shoulder. “I wouldn’t take that out if I were you - don’t want to bleed out.”_

 

_Takashi growled and did so anyway, tossing the kunai to the side. Blood gushed from the open wound…but then he raised his good hand to the puncture. Green chakra glowed around his hand._

 

_Shit - he knew medical ninjutsu?!_

 

_At her widened eyes, Takashi grinned. “Guess your own research was only so-so, little girl.”_

 

_Kaiya mentally shook herself. He only used a little bit of healing chakra - enough to close the wound. He must be nearing his limits, she reasoned. Still…if he could heal his worst wounds and keep going, then she’d have to either wear him down faster or inflict more damage than he could feasibly heal…the latter of which could lead to his death._

 

“ _Let’s stop this,” she called. “Yield the fight - it’s not worth your life!”_

 

_Takashi spat in her direction; blood stained the grass between them. “Like hell I’ll loose to a nobody like you!”_

 

_He was still on about that? Kaiya would have rolled her eyes if he hadn’t rushed at her again, then disappeared just as he was a half-meter away. Turning in surprise, she barely got her arms up in time to block a vicious kick to her skull. Flying backward, she cursed: She’d underestimated him. Stupid. Time to rectify that._

 

_She found her footing in time to block another push that sent her flying. Skidding to a halt near the edge of the arena, Kaiya side-stepped the next blow, swiped at his back, blocked another strike. He’d taken out a kunai of his own; they both leapt away from each other at the same time, exchanging kunai, catching them in midair, then aiming shuriken at one another. Metal clanged against metal; Kaiya thanked the many hours she’d spent training with a certain someone in shurikenjutsu that she was able to keep up with the Byakugan-user’s aim. Under the cover of the rain of throwing stars, she managed a quick hand sign. Within a split-second she and her Shadow Clone launched themselves into the fray, flickering through the projectiles and separating their fire. The clone took the brunt of the attack and dispersed just in time for the real Kaiya to flicker in close._

 

_He hadn’t expected her to make it; she could tell by the widening of his eyes as her kunai sliced into his side. Praying she hadn’t hit anything vital, she skid horizontally behind him to catch the tendons below his calves. He had already been slowed down enough that she made the strike in one blow; with a cry of pain, he sank to the ground, his legs no longer able to support him and his good hand clutching the wound in his side. Before he could do anything else, the sharp, cold edge of kunai was at his throat._

 

“ _You say you did your research on me,” Kaiya murmured in his ear. “But you stopped looking once you saw I was an orphan without a clan, didn’t you? I bet you didn’t bother trying to spy on me while training, or find out what my specialties are…you assumed from the start that I wasn’t worth it. That was your biggest mistake.”_

 

_The proctor came forward, assessing the situation. Takashi attempted to call forth healing chakra with his good hand, but it flickered weakly before going out. He couldn’t heal himself again; he was too injured now and had exhausted his reserves. The veins of the Byakugan receded from around his eyes._

 

_The proctor nodded and turned to the audience. “This match is over. I declare Fuumaki Kaiya the winner!”_

 

_Kaiya withdrew her kunai and backed away with a relieved sigh. Something told her that even in his current position, Takashi wouldn’t have yielded on his own. She watched as medics took him away on a stretcher; the pained glare he sent her way might as well have hit a wall for all the good it did him. She was done. The match was over. She had won. She’d used up more energy than she’d anticipated, but she still had a few tricks up her sleeve for the next rounds, and there were a few more matches between then and now. She’d be fine._

 

_She couldn’t bring herself to care whether the same could be said of Hyuga Takashi._

 

* * *

 

It wasn’t looking good. Sixty-four of Naruto’s tenketsu points had been blocked; that he was standing at all was a miracle. Kaiya heard the whispers among the crowd; for a Branch member of the Hyuga clan to use such a jutsu was unheard of. Neji was on a completely different level from Hyuga Takashi.

 

But Naruto stood and brought his hands together all the same. At first, nothing seemed to happen. Then…Kaiya saw it.

 

It started as a shift in the air around his feet. Dirt and pebbles swirled in a small vortex; the air rippled as though heated. Then came the streaks of orange around Naruto’s body, like faint flames licking the atmosphere. Although she was far away, Kaiya could  _feel_ the heat of those streaks which started looking more and more like…tails. 

 

It was chakra - but it wasn’t human.

 

Dread sank like a lead weight in Kaiya’s stomach. Her skin prickled in warning, her muscles tensing, ready to move, to run. What was this feeling? It was so strange, yet…familiar. The air around Naruto whipped harder, the orange tails expanding, glowing, then receding into his body only to engulf his small form in a coat of pure chakra.

 

_A gigantic beast the color of fire and blood…its tails whipping through the night sky, its roar deafening…_

 

Kaiya blinked hard. No - it was Naruto in the arena. It was daytime. A wave of dizziness suddenly swept over her; she swayed in her seat…

 

_She was running, running, scurrying away from that terrible beast’s presence, but it was everywhere, and her tiny legs wouldn’t move fast enough…_

 

A strong hand gripped her shoulder. “Kaiya-chan? You okay?”

 

_Someone ran ahead of her…her hand slipped out from theirs and she tripped-_

 

“Kaiya! Here - breathe…”

 

Someone coaxed her to lean down with her head between her knees. Kaiya breathed as deeply as her lungs would allow, in, out, in, out, until the world returned to normal. Her ears were filled not with a feral roar, but with the cheers of the crowd. When she lifted her head, her vision swam for a second, then steadied. “What happened…?”

 

“You tell us,” Hikaru said, concern creasing his brow.

 

“You looked like you were having a fit or something there,” added Gorou.

 

“I’m fine,” she insisted, sitting back and wiping her face. Her fingers came away moist with sweat. “The match…what happened?”

 

Hikaru blinked at her. “Naruto won.”

 

Kaiya looked first at him, then down into the arena, where Naruto jumped up and down in victory. “He did…?”

 

“Yeah, guess you missed it,” Gorou told her. “He got that Neji kid totally off-guard with a clone - it was actually pretty awesome!”

 

He won.

 

He  _won!_

 

Kaiya smiled, elation replacing any confusion over her strange episode. As the strength returned to her limbs, she leapt up, arms high above her head, a loud whoop of joy erupting from her mouth. “Yeah! You did it, Naruto! Woo-hoo!”

 

Hikaru and Gorou exchanged an amused glance. “Guess she’s fine, after all.”

 

* * *

 

The next match went by in a blur; Kaiya scarcely paid attention as Nara Shikamaru faced off against Sabaku no Temari, though she did find the other girl’s wind abilities interesting. However, the minutes continued to tick by with no sign of Kakashi or Sasuke…where were they?

 

As the crowd grew more vocal and visibly impatient, all three members of Team Recon tensed. If Sasuke didn’t show up, there could be a riot; many of the people here had come specifically to see the sole survivor of the Uchiha clan. As Chunin, they’d be tasked with crowd control.

 

“Man, I am _so_ not looking forward to the escort missions after this,” Gorou moaned as the crowd’s complaints grew louder. “There’s gonna be a lot of seriously annoyed gamblers if this kid doesn’t show.” 

 

Kaiya was biting her lip for a different reason. Gorou was right - the people who bet on these matches guarded their money jealously, and whatever the outcome, some would try to regain their losses along the roads home.

 

That was assuming something worse didn’t happen - and if Sasuke didn’t show, Kaiya worried that Orochimaru might take that as the sort of ‘disruption’ he’d threatened the village over.

 

“Looks like we might not get a seat,” said a deep voice a row or two behind them. “Lee, why don’t you-”

 

“I’m fine, Guy-sensei.”

 

Gorou turned around with a wide grin as he recognized the first voice. “Hey, Guy-sensei! How’s it goin’?”

 

The bushy-browed, green-clad Jonin sent a sparkling smile and a thumbs-up back. “Gorou! A pleasant surprise if ever there was one!”

 

Kaiya and Hikaru turned as well. Once Kaiya met Guy’s eye, he blanched, back going ramrod-straight, gaze suddenly focused anywhere except her.

 

“Ah - ah…this is your team as well, right, Gorou?” Guy stuttered.

 

Kaiya sighed. Guy had briefly mentored Gorou before their Chunin Exam finals; the two shared an easy rapport ever since, but Might Guy always had this odd, clamped-up reaction when he saw Kaiya. It looked like things hadn’t changed in five years. She stood. “Lee—kun can take my seat if he’d like - I want to go see Naruto, anyway.”

 

Guy just gave a stiff nod as she passed. Then, in the arena, a swirl of leaves signaled the arrival of someone new. When the tumult died down, a pair of Shinobi were revealed: one tall and silver-haired, hands casually settled in his pockets, one younger, dark-haired, and standing confidently.

 

Kaiya breathed a sigh of relief and held a hand to her forehead in exasperation. “It’s about freakin’ time!”

 

Sasuke had finally arrived. Before Kaiya could go another step, Kakashi flickered into the stands behind her. “Did we miss anything?”

 

Kaiya smacked him in the arm. “Oh, just your  _other_ student winning his match!” 

 

Kakashi smiled and rubbed the back of his neck. “Oh, did he?”

 

“And what the heck? You didn’t bother telling Sakura that you were training with Sasuke? She was worried sick!”

 

“Ah, I figured you’d keep her in the loop…”

 

“I’m not your messenger pigeon!” Kaiya huffed and turned back to face the arena, her wish to see Naruto supplanted by the match that was about to begin. “Is he gonna be all right against that guy?”

 

“Don’t worry about Sasuke,” Kakashi told her. “We weren’t slouching off these past few weeks.”

 

The match began. Sasuke’s speed had Kaiya’s eyes widening; when had he…? With a glance to Kakashi, she knew.

 

Oh. Right. Month of training. Still - to have increased his speed  _and_ mastered Guy and Lee’s taijutsu style in so little time…a small, proud smile turned the corners of her mouth up. 

 

However, it soon became apparent that taijutsu alone wouldn’t be enough. Gaara’s sand defense was absolute.

 

That’s when Kaiya heard a familiar voice in the back of the stands. “Kakashi-sensei! You’ve gotta stop this match - he’ll kill Sasuke!”

 

Kaiya and Kakashi both turned to see Naruto panting near the back stairs with another boy in tow.

 

“That guy,” Naruto panted as Kaiya came closer, pointing down at Gaara. “He’s like me - says he’s got a demon inside of him!”

 

Eyes widening, Kaiya’s head snapped back around to look down at Gaara. A demon - another one? “What do you mean?”

 

“I mean, his own _father_ sealed a monster inside of him,” Naruto told her, not bothering to keep his voice down. Thankfully, the crowd was too focused on the match to care.

 

“I dunno how much of that to believe,” piped up the other kid who’d arrived with Naruto. It was Nara Shikamaru - the candidate who’d just forfeited his own match moments before. “But he’s definitely a psycho. He thinks his village turned him into a weapon and that his only purpose in life is to kill.”

 

A chill ran down Kaiya’s spine. So this  _was_ the person who’d killed that Oto nin…and he believed he had a demon sealed within him. Months ago, Kaiya would have dismissed that as the paranoid rantings of a disturbed mind; now, though…

 

She glanced up at Kakashi, whose masked face showed no signs of surprise or concern. She stood and went to him so she could speak in a low voice. “What is going on, Kakashi? The cover-ups, Orochimaru, now this…”

 

“Something big,” was his blank-faced answer. “For now, though…there’s nothing we can do but watch the match.”

 

Heart pounding, Kaiya turned her attention back to the match…and her eyes widened once again. Sasuke had scaled most off the arena wall, putting as much distance between him and the sand-encased Gaara as he could in the small space; from his left hand, crackling, visible chakra gathered, making a sound like a thousand birds.

 

She recognized that sound. “That’s…”

 

“Chidori,” Guy explained from a meter in front of them. “Also known as Raikiri. Lightning chakra condensed around the arm, turning it into the deadliest sword known to man…a choice jutsu for assassination.”

 

Assassination…Kakashi had taught him a jutsu designed specifically for assassination… Kaiya’s mind immediately went to a face framed by long, raven-black bangs, with scarlet eyes that pierced into her soul. Eyes that flickered between being cold and empty and warm and soft…eyes that had seen the death of her mentor.

 

Her hands curled into fists at her sides. Not an hour ago, she’d said that ‘life for life’ justice was bullshit…yet now, she felt glad that Sasuke now had such a weapon at his disposal. Relieved, even. Maybe…maybe this would be powerful enough for him to stay away from Orochimaru.

 

“He won’t turn away from that path, will he?” Kaiya murmured to Kakashi. “That’s why you taught him that - to give him a weapon he could use to…” Why couldn’t she bring herself to say it?

 

Kakashi studied her from the corner of his eye. “You disapprove?”

 

Did she? Even she wasn’t sure anymore.

 

“He needed something powerful,” Kakashi said in a hushed voice. “Something to reassure him that he _is_ getting stronger…something to help even the playing field in his mind. Besides…” He looked out into the arena. “These kids aren’t just kids.” 

 

Kaiya followed his gaze to Gaara and had to admit…he was right.

“He needed this,” Kakashi said again, this time in an almost imploring tone that made her turn to him again. He met her eyes with his own, single, charcoal one. “The seal worked perfectly during our training…but that was because he knew he was getting stronger without the mark’s power. If he doubted that…”

 

If Sasuke doubted that he could achieve his goals on his own merit, the Fuja Hoin would be useless. “Okay…okay.” She rubbed her arms as though trying to warm herself. “It’s just…I guess I can’t stop seeing them as kids, you know?”

 

“You’ll learn,” Kakashi said. “And they can’t keep being kids forever.”

 

The Chidori pierced through the sand sphere that surrounded Gaara, shocking the whole crowd into momentary silence. Then, a piercing scream echoed through the arena.

 

“ _BLOOD! IT’S MY BLOOD!”_

 

Sasuke tugged fiercely to free his own hand from the sand armor; something was holding it there…something that became grotesquely visible in the next second.

 

It was an arm. Not just a sand limb, but a monstrous, clawed, blue-veined  _arm._ Kaiya felt a wave of nausea, not so much from the sight of it, but from the way it made the air around the stands vibrate with dread. So much like it had when Naruto used that orange chakra…

 

_He says he’s got a demon inside of him…_

 

Naruto’s words echoed inside her skull, but suddenly, her mind felt oddly fuzzy. She couldn’t focus; the world around her blurred, and a sensation like a thousand feathers drifted around her, softly caressing her skin, lulling her into sleep…

 


	7. Konoha Under Attack

 

_It was a mission that had gone horribly wrong. What should have been a C-rank investigation mission appropriate for Genin had swiftly turned into something more. Their intel going in had been incomplete, or perhaps purposely faulty; which it had been would be up to Yuuma to figure out once the team was safe back in Konoha._

 

_Kaiya stared down at her hands. Her nails were still rimmed with rusty flecks, and no amount of scrubbing in the river would get it out. She needed a coarse brush. Did she have one in her pack? No. She knew she didn’t. And why was she even thinking about cleaning her hands at a time like this?! A girl was dead!_

 

_A girl was dead because of her…because she had killed her._

 

_Kaiya didn’t dare shut her eyes for fear of seeing her face, seeing the pained expression, the light leaving those brown orbs…She wasn’t much older than her, must have been a teenager…and it hadn’t been a clean, quick death. No…Kaiya had caught her in the stomach, a fatal wound, but one that would last many painful, drawn-out hours. In the end, Yuuma had ended the girl’s life more quickly by cutting the artery in her neck. A mercy killing._

 

_But it was still Kaiya’s strike that led to her death._

 

_She was an enemy, Kaiya told herself over and over again. She attacked us. I was defending my team. She was with the enemy!_

 

_Then why did she want to throw up?_

 

“ _Kaiya.” A steady hand came down on her shoulder; she didn’t have to look up to know who it was. “You did what you had to.”_

 

_The pressure in her throat threatened to burst. “I killed her,” she whispered. “I-I’ve only killed fish before…”_

 

_It had felt nothing like the straw-filled practice dummies in the training fields. Soft flesh, warm blood…how easily the kunai had slipped into the vital tissue…the memory of it threatened to make her gag._

 

_Yuuma sat down beside her on the river bank. “It’s okay to not be fine right now, Kaiya. You took a life today. It was in defense of your team and had to be done, but that doesn’t make it any easier.”_

 

“ _I’m fine,” she protested, her voice too bright even in her own ears. “Really. This is what we do, right? As ninja. We have to k-” She faltered on the word; covering her mouth, she scrambled down the river bank and let loose the contents of her stomach._

 

_Cool hands gently pulled back her hair as she threw up. When she was done, Yuuma handed her his canteen so she could wash out her mouth. “My first time…I threw up, too. Twice, actually.” He sat back on his heels. “As for what we do as ninja…it is true that sometimes, we must kill. That doesn’t make it any easier, though.”_

 

“ _She was the enemy,” Kaiya said. It felt like reciting something from a textbook. “She was the enemy, and I was defending my team…so why…?”_

 

“ _Why do you feel guilty? Sad? Disgusted?”_

 

_Kaiya could only give a weak nod._

 

“ _Because you’re human,” Yuuma told her. “You are a kind, compassionate person who values life. I would be more worried if you had no reaction to what happened today, honestly. We should never be numb to death, Kaiya. To become so means we no longer value life.” He half-turned, looking back at the camp fire where the two boys nursed their wounds. “Look at them. Thanks to you, they’re alive. You protected your people today.”_

 

“ _But she was protecting hers, too…”_

 

“ _And if she wasn’t? If she was simply fighting for the thrill, or for money? Would that make her more deserving?”_

 

_Kaiya looked up at him in shock. Of course she didn’t think that!_

 

“ _We don’t always know why our opponent fights,” Yuuma explained. “But what we do know - what every ninja should know when they go on a mission - is that death is a possibility. For us, for others…it is something we live with constantly, something we must acknowledge in everyone we meet. You know, it’s said that the best battle is the battle not fought; but sometimes we can’t avoid or prevent them. Once you’re in battle, there’s no time to think through the options and scenarios. You strike, you dodge, you block - and you seek to end it as swiftly as possible, however you can.”_

 

* * *

 

_**Last time, in To Unravel the Night…** _

 

_Naruto’s words echoed inside her skull, but suddenly, her mind felt oddly fuzzy. She couldn’t focus; the world around her blurred, and a sensation like a thousand feathers drifted around her, softly caressing her skin, lulling her into sleep…_

 

Something jolted through her system like a bolt of electricity, startling her awake. A strong hand steadied her; without it, she’d have fallen over. Kaiya blinked her eyes hard. “Wha-?”

 

“Genjutsu.” Kakashi’s voice held a note of urgency that perked her up. “The whole stadium’s asleep, except for those who dispelled it. We're under attack.”

 

Under attack? Kaiya barely had time to wonder what was happening before something came flying her way. Kakashi threw a kunai and intercepted it - another kunai, which would have landed in her chest.

 

“Get it together,” he barked. “I know you can do better than that!”

 

Shaken from her confusion, Kaiya’s training took over. Another kunai came her way; she took one of her own and deflected it. All around her, civilians and some Shinobi were out cold; she had to be careful where those kunai wound up, or they'd lose innocent lives. “We need to evacuate-”

 

“Can't,” Kakashi said. “Unless we can move this many unconscious people at once. For now, defend them!”

 

Nearby, Hikaru dispelled the genjutsu on Gorou. “I'll wake up the Shinobi in the crowd. Gorou - move the civilians so they won’t be open targets.”

 

“Good plan,” Kakashi said. “Guy and I will cover you! Kaiya - can you get a barrier up?”

 

“Hai!” Kaiya quickly set an anchoring kunai and flickered around the stand, setting up the four points. The barrier would only cover this particular area, but it would separate them from the rest of the fray. Any enemies trapped inside would be more easily dealt with. With a hand sign, she activated it. “Done!”

 

“Aim to kill for now,” Kakashi ordered them. “We can’t risk them getting back up until the rest of the village is ready to take prisoners.”

 

The rest of the village…right now, the lower-level Chunin and Genin would be rounding up civilians and children and directing them to safe houses. Once they were out of the way, the more seasoned Chunin and Jonin could go all-out without worrying about collateral damage.

 

Until then, prisoners were not a luxury they could afford.

 

Together, Kakashi and Guy moved like she'd seen almost no one move before. Guy was a green blur, his speed and precision as he struck down the Oto nin almost imperceptible. And Kakashi…Kaiya couldn't help but be in awe of him. He was lightning fast, every movement calculated, exact, and deadly. Left and right, Oto and Suna nin fell unconscious or dead.

 

And something told her that this wasn't nearly the full extent of what he could do.

 

An enemy came for her; Kaiya drew her kunai in each hand and blocked his strikes, her reflexes allowing her to dodge and evade. He stayed on her, backing her toward the stadium wall.

 

Then he made a mistake: a brief opening that Kaiya was quick to exploit, ducking under his arm and getting behind him. Her kunai came to the front of his neck, and with a quick, lateral slash, he was down.

 

Kaiya felt a cold shudder as he fell; she couldn’t remember the last time she’d had to kill, but now wasn’t the time for thinking or regret. She turned and leaped to the next enemy, who’d evaded Kakashi and Guy and was heading for the sleeping Naruto and Shikamaru.

 

Seeing the enemy’s intention lit a cold fire in her belly that burned away any further hesitation. With a flicker, she was in front of the man; two slashes brought him down while he was still surprised by her presence.

 

“We’re clear,” Kakashi called, looking around their stand. Guy stood at his back, alert just in case there was another enemy they hadn’t yet seen. Hikaru and Gorou jogged back to join them; in the immediate area, a few Konoha Shinobi had awoken.

 

“What now, Kakashi-san?” someone asked.

 

“Now,” he answered, “we defend. Once Kaiya’s barrier comes down, spread out among the stands; most of the Jonin should be fighting already, but anyone who can dispel genjutsu, do so on our affected comrades. Leave the civilians be; we don’t need them muddying the field. Our mission is to protect them and trim the enemy’s numbers.”

 

Admiration blossomed in Kaiya's chest as Kakashi took complete control of the situation. His calm gave her confidence that there would be a way out of this, so long as they all followed his orders.

 

“Where’s the Hokage?”

 

Kakashi turned toward the Hokage stand, the rest of the small crowd with him. What they saw made them all gasp.

 

A large, translucent, violet barrier had been erected; inside, they could just make out the Hokage, his usual robe and hat discarded to show his battle garb, facing none other than Orochimaru.

 

This had been Orochimaru's plan all along - and now the entire village was in crisis.

 

“Hokage-sama!” yelled one of the Shinobi, tense and ready to leap forward.

 

“Stay focused!” Kakashi barked. “The Hokage can handle himself. Our job is to protect the people of the village - go!”

 

Kaiya let down the barrier and the Shinobi scattered among the stands. Before she, Hikaru, and Gorou could do the same, Kakashi stopped them.

 

“Not you three,” he said. “I have two other missions. Sakura-” The pinkette, who’d been awake and laying low in the stands, snapped to attention. “It was well-worth teaching you genjutsu skills; you truly have a talent for it. Go wake Naruto and Shikamaru; you three are going after Sasuke.”

 

Sasuke? Alarmed, Kaiya glanced down at the arena floor. Sasuke was gone - as was Gaara.

 

“He went after the Suna team,” Kakashi told her, answering her unasked question. “He’s gonna need backup.”

 

“Then we’ll-”

 

“Not you,” Kakashi interrupted. “I need you for something else.”

 

“But-”

 

Hikaru grabbed her arm and shook his head; now was not the time to argue. Kaiya watched as Kakashi summoned Pakkun and sent him with Sakura to the boys, her muscles screaming at her to follow. Once the Genin trio had their orders and the older Shinobi covered their exit, Kakashi turned to Kaiya and her team.

 

“I said the Hokage could handle himself,” he began. “But the truth is, I’d feel much better if he had backup. It looks like Orochimaru wanted to face him alone; he’s probably banking on Sandaime-sama being too sentimental to want to kill him. I saw some Anbu on the roof; go join them. Most barriers are based in Fuinjutsu formulas, right?” he asked Kaiya.

 

She nodded, suddenly understanding what he was asking of her. “You want us to do something about the barrier.”

 

“Exactly.” Kakashi looked directly into Kaiya’s eyes. “Can you do it?”

 

Kaiya looked again at the barrier. From here, she could just barely make out four Shinobi, one at each corner; this was clearly a strong one if it required four people to maintain.  _Could_ she bring it down alone? 

 

There wasn’t really a choice. She had to try, or they risked losing their Hokage. If that happened, the village wouldn’t just lose its leader; it could be demoralized in the middle of battle, which could lead to even more dire consequences. But if they could help the Hokage take out Orochimaru, this battle could become significantly shorter.

 

Kaiya squared her shoulders and nodded. “I’ll do it.”

 

She’d figure out ‘how’ when she got there.

 

Kakashi nodded back. “Take your team. We’ll cover your exit; get to the roof and meet the Anbu team there. Tell them I sent you; they’ll work with you then. And Kaiya-” She was already turning to leave; he reached for her arm, making her look back up at him. “Be careful. Please.”

 

Despite the urgency of the situation, a warm, tingling sensation invaded Kaiya's midsection. She gave him a small smile and, words weighted with sincerity, replied: “You too.”

 

The team exchanged a look of understanding. No words needed to be spoken; they knew what to do.

 

Hikaru weaved a few hand signs, then seemed to shimmer out of existence. Camouflage jutsu - a genjutsu that rendered him basically invisible. Kaiya activated her chakra masking seal; if any sensors were along their path, they’d notice Gorou and perhaps one other person, giving them the advantage of surprise either way. Together, all three took off to the area beneath the stands - fewer people, fewer potential opponents.

 

It wasn’t long before they noticed they were being followed. After exchanging a quick glance, Kaiya and Gorou stopped dead in their tracks and turned around to face their attackers. Two Oto nin, their lower faces covered with cloth masks, stood just a few meters away.

 

Gorou smirked beside her. “One each, eh, Kaiya-chan?”

 

“Looks like,” she muttered back, sliding a kunai into each hand.

 

“No.” Hikaru’s hushed voice came from just behind them. “Kaiya - you keep going. We’ll handle them.”

 

Jaw clenched hard, she gave the tiniest nod of acknowledgment just as the two Oto nin launched themselves forward. Kaiya leaped back while Gorou spun into action, taking on the two at once. She only got about fifty meters away when she noticed another presence at her side. Startled at first, she relaxed marginally when she recognized the cloak and bone-white mask of an Anbu operative.

 

But only marginally.

 

“I'm here to help,” the operative called. “What's the plan?”

 

That voice…it was familiar, but she couldn't quite place it. Her skin prickled in warning. The Oto nin had disguised themselves as civilians and other Anbu, had gotten into the village without anyone noticing…they must have had help from the inside. And why wasn’t this Anbu with the others?

 

“Meeting up with Anbu on the roof,” she answered vaguely. “Should get further orders there.”

 

Deciding to go with her instincts, Kaiya tried taking a random turn within the stands, making her route more circuitous than was advisable. The Anbu followed her every step. She came to a full stop; the Anbu halted with her.

 

“What are you doing?” he asked.

 

Kaiya backed up a step. He took one forward.

 

“Exactly who are you helping?” she demanded.

 

“I don't know what you're-”

 

Her eyes narrowed. “Take off the mask.”

 

He shifted his stance ever-so-slightly. “You know I can't do that.”

 

“Do it, and prove that you're a Konoha Shinobi,” she said, voice dangerously low. “Or I will remove it for you.”

 

For a tense two seconds, neither of them moved. Then the person in front of her sighed. “Just as fiery as ever, I see. That much hasn't changed.”

 

Kaiya's brow twitched. He spoke as though he knew her…and he still hadn't removed his mask. “Who are you?”

 

“Oh, I think it'd be more fun if you guessed.”

 

Her eyes narrowed. Clearly, he was trying to distract her. She would have none of it; the longer she took, the longer the Hokage was without backup! She flickered around the masked man, only for him to block her. “Here to ‘help,’ huh?”

 

“You're going for the barrier,” he said, his voice dark. “You'll only get yourself killed by trying to break it; it _can't_ be broken.” 

 

Kaiya smirked. “Really? Then why try to stop me?”

 

He sighed. “I'd really prefer not to fight you, Kaiya-san.”

 

That  _voice!_ Where did she know it from?! And he knew her name…Kaiya tightened her grip on her kunai. “Get out of my way, and you won't have to.” 

 

For a bare second, the world around them seemed to fade away. Every muscle in her body buzzed with anticipation; the very air was charged, ready to spark.

 

Then it started.

 

The man weaved hand signs; Kaiya focused and shaped her chakra, directing from her hands into her blades. They leaped toward each other - but before clashing, Kaiya feinted, deftly side-stepping him entirely and aiming a strike at his back.

 

Her enhanced blades sliced cleanly through a log.

 

_He's fast!_

 

The close quarters prevented her from using her full speed, and the beams and rafters made made it difficult to throw weapons accurately. No powerful ninjutsu down here, either; she risked collapsing the stands if she tried, endangering the people still asleep above. If she could just get out into the open, she could easily out-maneuver him!

 

He turned up behind her and threw her against a column. Pain exploded, but not just in her back from the throw; the arm he'd grabbed throbbed deeply. She had no time to glance down before he was right in front of her again. This time, she brought her kunai up with her good hand; he predictably leaned back and away from the blade, but his cloak tore and blood burst from just below his throat anyway. She heard him gasp out a “What?!”

 

He leaped back immediately, bringing a hand up to the wound, It was shallow, but it shouldn't have been possible at all; her blade made no contact.

 

“You're just as fast as always, too,” he commented in an annoyingly composed voice. “And that just now…ah, yes, that's right…you're Wind-natured. You coated your blades in Wind chakra, didn’t you?”

 

Quickly glancing at her injured arm, Kaiya saw no entry wound. Then why did it feel like he'd sliced down to the bone? It hurt to move it much, and the darkening of her skin told her she was bleeding internally. Not a genjutsu - this wound was real. Watching her opponent warily, she spied the glow of chakra around his hands.

 

_He did something via chakra…something that injures without cutting the skin. I have to avoid his hands._

 

She guessed that by his comment on her chakra nature, he now knew to avoid her kunai, too.

 

“Not much of a distance fighter, are you?” she called to him.

 

“Neither are you,” he replied casually. “From what I recall, you prefer to get in close, using your impressive speed and skill with Body Flicker to confuse and exhaust your opponents if you don't intend to kill them, or to strike them down if you do. You also enjoy taking advantage of people’s assumptions about you - particularly that you’d be less capable than you are. I’m afraid that won’t work on me, though.”

 

He spoke as though he knew her, and with a smug tone that made her want to punch him in the face - but only after unmasking him so she could see his expression as she did. “You seem to know a lot about me.”

 

With a swift motion, she drew and imbued several kunai with Wind chakra before throwing them at him. He just barely avoided them, not even trying to block; clearly, he knew that they'd simply cut through anything in their path.

 

And they did - slicing through a support beam just above his head and bringing it down. He swerved out of its path, substituting as he did and cutting her off as she sped toward an exit. She froze, as did he.

 

“I _do_ know a lot about you, Kaiya-san,” he said, bringing his hands slowly to his sides as though to indicate that he meant no harm. “Or should I call you Kaiya- _chan_ , like I did when we were younger?” 

 

Despite herself, Kaiya’s eyes widened. He knew her before…? No. He had to be lying. Still, her fingers practically trembled with frustration; she knew that voice,  _she knew that voice!_

 

“I’m not surprised you haven’t figured it out yet,” he continued, still not moving - just standing. “Your memory wasn’t great back then, either. I had to remind you of my name almost every time we saw each other at first; it was kind of cute, actually.”

 

His words hooked into her psyche, keeping her from moving away. His voice drew her in, pulling at an almost primal  _need_ to know what the hell he was talking about. Her mind whirled; he could only be referring to her time in the orphanage, back in those first few months when she still had memory issues. Some of the older kids used to tease her for being horrible with people’s names in particular…did he know her back then? How? 

 

Her voice came out as breathless as if she’d run a marathon. “Who the  _hell_ are you?!” 

 

Was it possible to hear smirks? She was pretty sure she could hear one in his response. “If you really want to know…” He tapped a finger against the mask. “Come and get this.”

 

She wanted to. By all the gods in existence, she wanted nothing more in that moment than to knock that damn mask off of his face so she could know once and for all. She shook with that need to know, to solve, to uncover.

 

“I know more about you than you do,” he practically purred. He didn’t move; somehow, his stillness was all the more inviting. “More than this village will ever deign to tell you. Ever wonder who your parents _really_ were?” 

 

No. He couldn’t possibly know…he was lying. He was just trying to distract her - and it was  _working._ “You’re lying.” 

 

“It’s Konoha that’s been lying to you from the beginning,” he retorted, bitterness dripping from his voice.

 

Kaiya couldn’t take it any longer. With a burst of speed that even surprised her, she reached him, a swift swipe catching that damned mask in her kunai and ripping it from his face. He caught her wrist, though this time there was no searing pain, just a strong grip that held her in place as she finally took in his appearance.

 

When she realized what - or rather,  _who_ \- she was looking at, her heart stopped in her chest. 

 

She saw the glasses first, knocked just off-center by the unmasking…then the ash-grey hair gathered in a ponytail…and a smirk that seemed both out of place and perfectly at home on a boyish, oval face.

 

“You’re…Kabuto…”

 

The smirk only widened. “No ‘kun’ this time? I’m disappointed.” He whirled her around, pinning her arms and pressing a kunai to her throat.

 

“Come on out,” Kabuto called into the rafters. “I’d rather not damage her more than necessary, but if I must…”

 

As Kaiya watched, a figure shimmered into existence a few meters in front of them. Lavender shirt, light brown hair - it was Hikaru. He walked slowly toward them from behind a pillar, his camouflage genjutsu fully released, hands out and empty.

 

“Really,” Kabuto muttered, his breath warm against her ear. “Using a genjutsu of that level on me isn’t going to work.”

 

“Oh, I’d say it worked quite well.”

 

Hikaru’s smooth, cultured voice rang out not from the figure in front of them, but from behind.

 

Kabuto turned to see the source of the voice, his surprise making him jerk the kunai away from Kaiya’s throat and allowing her to slip from his grasp. Just as she did, a large, tanned fist made contact with Kabuto’s jaw, sending him flying into a pillar several meters away.

 

Gorou straightened, his bright hazel eyes flashing. “Keep your fucking hands off her, you piece of shit!”

 

Hikaru - the real one - came to Kaiya’s other side; his mirror image mirage wavered, then faded as the second genjutsu released itself. ‘Mirror Image’ jutsu - his other specialty, which came in very handy for distractions, but that he could only use a few times a day for its chakra usage. “You all right?”

 

“Arm’s off,” she told him, clutching the offending limb. “But yeah. Don’t get too close to him - his hands are dangerous.”

 

“A quick exit seems best, then,” Hikaru said, pulling out a smoke bomb. “We’re wasting time.”

 

They leapt away when the smoke bomb went off, filling the underside of the stands with thick, grey clouds. Once free of the stands, they had to dodge projectile weapons, but made it to the roof without further incident.

 

“Kakashi sent us,” Hikaru told the Anbu trio as soon as they arrived. “What’s the situation?”

 

“Kakashi, eh?” muttered the lead operative, who wore a cat-like mask. “Orochimaru has the Hokage locked in combat inside that barrier. No one can get through - it incinerated the last person who tried.”

 

“Did you see any of the hand signs those four made?” Kaiya asked, indicating the four Shinobi who made up the corners. “Anything helps.”

 

“We didn’t.”

 

Kaiya’s mind raced to figure out what she could. Barrier jutsu had routes in Fuinjutsu; most had long ago been modified to not require a full seal, though the principles of how they worked remained similar. The Five Elements of Earth, Water, Fire, Metal, and Wood always played a role, their symbolic meanings powering the barrier in a variety of ways.

 

A four-cornered barrier that burned people alive on contact…it had to work primarily on Fire element, then. Rigid structure - that indicated a strong Earth element. Even number of sides and casters meant a base in an even-numbered seal; an odd numbered seal could create an imbalance, but they didn’t have the time to come up with one. How else could they get in?

 

“Wait,” Kaiya breathed, an idea forming. “We don’t need to take down the entire barrier — if we make a hole in it, Anbu can get in, right?”

 

The operative nodded. “Can you do that?”

 

“The four casters are protected from both outside and inside the barrier,” she said. “But if we can knock off just one of them, that’ll weaken it.”

 

“But not disable it?”

 

“Probably not,” she admitted. “These four are skilled and very used to working together; once one corner fails, they’ll compensate to keep the barrier working. But I can take the fourth person’s place and do a counteractive jutsu, something to create an entrance.”

 

Hikaru nodded. “I think I have a way to take one of the casters out.”

 

Within moments, the plan was set, roles assigned. As she waited for the start of her own role, Kaiya nursed her injured arm, testing its mobility; it had been a while since she’d practiced one-handed signs, and she was far slower and clumsier with them. Her hand still moved; it just hurt like hell to bend and raise the arm. She could deal with that.

 

Small explosions rang out from beneath their feet - the first round set by Anbu. As Kaiya watched, the four Oto nin holding up the barrier barely stumbled but regained their footing quickly. The barrier remained stable.

 

A second round went off, stronger than the first. This time, the biggest of the four looked around and almost lost his hand sign.

 

_C’mon, Hikaru,_ she begged from her hiding spot.  _Get him out!_

 

A third explosion - for the briefest moment, the big ninja’s hands came apart.

 

That, Kaiya knew, was the opening Hikaru needed. She held her breath; the barrier was still up, but the Oto nin suddenly looked alarmed, staring at something only he could see. The smallest lapse in concentration made it possible - the barrier would have blocked any attempt to manipulate a person's chakra otherwise - and as Kaiya watched, the Oto nin lost his balance completely as he became caught in a vertigo-inducing genjutsu.

 

_Almost…just a little bit more…_

 

Every muscle in her body was tensed; she knew Hikaru might run out of chakra before the genjutsu did its job. But it was working, he had him!

 

_COME ON!_

 

The Oto nin stumbled, his hands completely apart as he tried to catch himself. Kaiya could see the other three starting to scramble, pouring more chakra into the barrier to keep it from coming down - as expected. But if she was right, then any second now…

 

_There_ ! 

 

The outer part of the barrier immediately around the large Oto nin wavered. Kaiya flickered forward, a burst of chakra letting her move unseen directly into the opening as he lost his control completely. Gorou was right behind her; he tackled the enemy nin as he came stumbling out.

 

She was in.

 

Quickly, she pulled out a pair of seal tags she'd written while Anbu set their explosives. On one, written in as small a script as she could manage, was a seal to counteract the fire properties of the barrier; it was activated by the Rat and Boar signs, both representing Water and therefore retreat. On the other, Wood elementals: Tiger and Rabbit, nourished by the Water elemental and allowing its influence to spread throughout the barrier.

 

Kaiya repeated the four hand signs four times, working through the pain in her arm to activate the seals before the barrier burned the tags. Ne, I, Tora, U, Ne, I, Tora, U - the signs became a chant in her mind, the symbols imprinted on her eyelids as she concentrated and shaped her chakra. A clap of her hands, and the Fuin was activated.

 

Kaiya pressed her palms to the seal tags, directing her chakra through them and into the barrier itself. The tags were scorching hot against her palms; she could feel the heat of the barrier trying to eat its way through and burn her alive. In her mind's eye, Kaiya saw her chakra as so many roots taking hold in the barrier, crumbling it bit by bit on a molecular level. Not fast enough - it had to grow more quickly, or she'd never break through in time!

 

More chakra poured through her hands. The roots grew and became a network; once they filled an area large enough for a human being to slip through, she pulsed her chakra more through the Water elementals, using their cooling properties to fight the barrier's flames.

 

It was like facing a blazing forest fire with a garden hose. The flames would not die down, even as the structure of the barrier broke away. She could feel them licking at her hands and arms; her skin burned and blistered, the pain blinding, nauseating. Letting out a strangled cry, Kaiya fought her body’s reflex to pull away, to save itself, and instead pushed more chakra into the seals. The tags were mere ash, but the Fuin had already taken hold; she could do this, she could feel the barrier breaking down, she was almost there!

 

Beyond her hands - was that a forest? It was still tinged violet - no! She saw a patch of brown and green forming, expanding!  _It was working!_

 

Black spots ate at the edges of her vision. Between the strain and the heat, she couldn't breathe. Her body and mind screamed at her to let go, but she kept pushing. She was almost through!

 

The scent of a forest, of damp earth and fresh leaves, drifted into her nose. Then there was pine…Kaiya saw the sky arch past her eyes…

 

…and then there was nothing.

 

 


	8. Recovery

 

_**Last time, in To Unravel the Night…** _

 

_Black spots ate at the edges of her vision. Between the strain and the heat, she couldn't breathe. Her body and mind screamed at her to let go, but she kept pushing. She was almost through!_

 

_The scent of a forest, of damp earth and fresh leaves, drifted into her nose. Then there was pine…Kaiya saw the sky arch past her eyes…_

 

… _and then there was nothing._

 

* * *

 

_ The world around her was silent, black. It hadn’t been this dark that night, and it hadn’t been so quiet…yet she was sure that it  **was** that night again, as certain as she was of her own name.  _

 

_She was running. She could feel the muscles of her small legs pumping as fast as they could, trying to keep up with - who was holding her hand? It was warm, its grip strong, and it pulled her along with focused desperation. She felt safe with that hand. As long as she was holding that hand, everything would be all right…_

 

… _and then she wasn’t holding it anymore. Her eyes widened. Something came tumbling down around her, crushing her, blinding and suffocating - she screamed, but no sound came out -_

 

The world was white. Were her eyes open? They couldn’t be…her brow pinched as she tried to lift her eyelids; it took so much effort…

 

“Hey, hey, she’s wakin’ up!”

 

“Kaiya?”

 

Kaiya’s eyes cracked open, only to reflexively shut again as the brightness of the outside world burned her retinas. Once they adjusted, she tried again. At first, the world swam before her eyes in a blur of whites and greys, but within seconds two figures came into focus. “Hikaru? Gorou?”

 

“Yeah, we’re here,” Gorou said, shifting his chair closer.

 

Her head drifted to the side, making the room tilt dizzyingly. “Where…?”

 

“You’re in the hospital,” Hikaru told her softly.

 

“You’ve been out of it for almost a week,” Gorou added. “You had us worried there, Kaiya-chan!”

 

A week? Kaiya struggled to sit up, only to have searing pain shoot through her arms. “Agh!”

 

“Careful,” Hikaru said, easing her back down. “You have severe chakra burns. The medics…did what they could…”

 

He trailed off, and Kaiya gingerly lifted her arms, though it felt more like lifting a pair of anvils. The limbs were covered from elbow to fingertips in bandages and medical seal tags; an IV was attached to one arm, slowly dripping clear fluids into her veins. Some part of her mind said that she  _should_ be in a lot more pain, if what Hikaru said was true, yet all she felt was a dull, vaguely floating sensation. She tried moving her fingers, flexing her hand, anything - but her fingers wouldn’t respond. She hissed as she felt a tightness in her skin, a deep burn that faded when she stopped trying to move. 

 

“They included painkillers in the IV solution,” Hikaru told her. “You may feel a bit disoriented for a while.”

 

“Disoriented” was an understatement. The world kept going in and out of focus; even her teammates voices were oddly muffled, then clear, then muffled again. “What happened…?”

 

“What do you remember?”

 

It seemed such a mighty task, making her mind recall the events that put her here, but Kaiya concentrated as best she could. “The village…was under attack…”

 

“We won,” Gorou nodded. “I think Suna and Oto’ll think twice before trying something like that again!”

 

Hikaru hushed him with a gesture. “What else?”

 

“The barrier…” Abruptly, she nearly shot up again, only to have the sting of the burns put a stop to that motion. “What happened? The Hokage-”

 

“Easy, there…” It was Gorou who coaxed her back down, but Kaiya could see by the tightness around his eyes that he was holding something back.

 

“Naruto? Sasuke?”

 

“Naruto-kun and Sasuke-kun are all right,” Hikaru told her. “They’ve both checked in on you often-”

 

As relieved as she was to hear it, Kaiya felt impatience eat away at her drug-induced haze. “Hikaru. The Hokage. The barrier. What happened?”

 

Hikaru sighed and looked down. “Your jutsu…it worked. You tore a hole in the barrier big enough to let all three Anbu in at once.”

 

For a moment, Kaiya wasn't sure she heard him right. Then, as the realization sank in, a strange sort of elation rose in her chest - possibly aided by the painkillers in her system. “It worked…it really worked…” She looked again at her teammates, expecting to see them sharing in her triumph, but instead saw only grief. “What is it?”

 

The two exchanged another weighted glance before Hikaru continued. “Once Anbu got in, the other three Oto nin let go of the barrier completely and tried to engage them, to keep them from getting to the Hokage. Then all of them -including the one Gorou was fighting - suddenly backed off. I…I couldn't see everything, but it looked like someone else joined them. After that, they took Orochimaru and left. Anbu couldn't stop them.”

 

Any joy Kaiya had felt a moment ago evaporated. There was something they weren’t telling her, and in her experience, that was never a good thing. “And…the Hokage?”

 

Their expressions gave her the answer before Gorou finally said it aloud. “They were too late…he's dead.”

 

* * *

 

Nara Shikaku was not an ambitious man. In his youth, he’d been downright lazy - a trait that he’d apparently passed on to his son, Shikamaru. He never aspired to be Hokage, never even planned to be the leader of the Jonin Council or the representative of Konoha’s clans - but here he was, carrying both positions. The former Jonin rep had been killed during Orochimaru’s invasion; as for the clan rep position, Shikaku had somehow landed that honor a good decade and a half ago. Back when Konoha was one clan stronger…

 

He sighed heavily. Normally, all of the clan heads would be present for a meeting such as this, but with the village in the state it was in, that was hardly practical. So here he was, carrying the responsibility of two division heads, waiting on two old farts to start this damn meeting already.

 

What a drag.

 

The door opened, and the Elders  _finally_ joined the meeting, their aging bodies moving slowly, belying the strength and skill still present from years of being honed for battle. 

 

Then a third person came in behind them - a person Shikaku hadn’t seen in over five years.

 

His cane clicking on the wood-tiled floor announced his presence before he was seen; he seemed to carry shadows with him into the room, making it feel distinctly colder. One arm hung in a permanent sling, one half of his face hidden by bandages, clothed in simple, almost ascetic robes of white and black…this was the man known as the “Darkness of the Shinobi.”

 

Shimura Danzo.

 

No one had seen or heard of Danzo since his impromptu retirement after the Uchiha massacre; rumors had it that he had relocated to an old Shimura family estate deep in the mountains to live out the rest of his life in solitude.

 

Why was he back now?

Koharu sat and addressed the small group around the table. “In this time of crisis, until we have chosen a new Hokage, we will need as much assistance as we can get. To that end, Danzo has graciously offered to come out of retirement. He worked closely with Sandaime-sama for many decades; it is with confidence that we welcome him back now.”

 

“Thank you,” Danzo said, a humble note in his voice that seemed distinctly out of place to Shikaku. “I shall do all I can to help bring Konoha back to glory.”

 

Any thoughts of “what a drag” evaporated from Shikaku’s mind as swiftly as water droplets landing in an inferno. Danzo was back. The man could never be pinned down for the dark deeds that only the barest of rumors suggested, but Shikaku never doubted his capacity for them.

 

His presence at this meeting set off alarms in Shikaku’s mind - not just about the man himself or what he might be aiming for, but for something else. Something bigger, looming and ominous.

 

He’d do his duty and represent the Jonin and clans - if only to make sure that this man didn’t get his talons into power too deeply.

 

* * *

 

Kaiya stared at her bandaged hands. Chakra burns caused by her contact with the Four Violet Flames barrier - it was either a miracle, the medics said, or a testament to her skill that she hadn't been incinerated entirely. In the days since she’d woken up, they’d become comparable to normal, second-degree burns thanks to a powerful salve and medical care. However, unlike a normal burn, it wasn't just her tissue and nerves that were affected. Until they healed entirely, her tenketsu points in her arms were shot; ninjutsu would be nearly impossible and she would need extensive rehabilitation to be functional again.

 

The bandages, interwoven with medical seal tags, kept her chakra from escaping en masse through her injured arms. Without the IV dripping painkillers steadily into her system, these tags were all that kept the ever-present sting at bay. The first couple of times the nurses had changed the bandages had been excruciating; as soon as the tags were off, her nerves went into fiery overdrive. It was as though she could feel every cell in her arms dying or attempting to rebuild all at once. It went deep, encasing her bones in searing, nauseating pain; the chakra loss through the scorched tenketsu points nearly made her pass out.

 

Over the past few days, that pain had lessened, and she could bear the bandage changes without white spots invading her vision. Every day, she tried to move her fingers a little more, get them to do more than twitch. It felt like her skin was tearing and stretching with every attempt, even as slowly as she went. She could now managed to hold a cup of water, but a pen was out of the question, let alone a kunai. The medics assured her that chakra burns  _do_ heal, even bad ones, though she might carry scars for the rest of her life. 

 

That is, her skin and other tissue would heal. Her chakra pathways were a different story. For those, the medics warned her, full recovery might never happen. She might never be an active-duty ninja again.

 

And it had all been for nothing.

 

The Hokage was dead. She had been…too slow. No - it wasn’t that she’d been slow; she’d been  _distracted_ , putting her personal questions above the safety of their leader. How could she be so stupid? How could she have let Kabuto get under her skin? But she knew how…and although shame ate at her with every breath she took, she knew why she listened to his words, why he managed to worm his way into her mind and hold her in place with only his voice. The promise of answers, of information about her past - it had been too tempting to refuse. She still wanted to know: what was it that the village was lying to her about? What was she missing?! 

 

But what if it had all been an elaborate lie? Why should she believe anything that came from the mouth of an enemy? She had truly been a fool, outmaneuvered and outsmarted by a  _spy_ who simply spun lies to keep her busy. Had there been a chance to kill him and she was too blinded by curiosity to see it? It was this question that plagued her the most, repeating in her mind over and over until rest could only be found with the sedatives the medics provided her.

 

The Hokage was dead, along with a full third of their active forces. Orochimaru had escaped and was presumably still alive…still a threat. She had done nothing…and now she was crippled for however long it would take for these damn burns to heal.

 

If they ever healed.

 

A tear dampened the white cloth on her arm, followed by another. She hadn't felt so useless in years. She hadn't been able to save her teacher; she had severely misjudged someone she gave her heart to; and now…she had failed her leader, one of the first people to show faith in her abilities.

 

There was a light, perfunctory knock at the door, signaling that a nurse was about to enter. Kaiya swiftly dried her eyes and carefully propped herself up in bed, grateful for whatever company had arrived. Anything was better than dwelling on her own weakness and inadequacy.

 

The nurse - an older woman called Ume-san - gave her a brisk greeting from over her clipboard. “How are we today, Fuumaki-san? Haven’t been trying hand signs again, have you?”

 

“No,” she lied. “So - when can I go home?”

 

Ume-san shook her head. “Uh-uh. Not until you’ve had your first chakra therapy session, young lady - which, as it so happens, will finally happen today! You have our best therapist, too, lucky girl. He’s excellent with chakra and tenketsu injuries - he’s a Hyuga, so I guess you could say he’s got an ‘eye’ for it!”

 

As Ume laughed at her own joke, Kaiya’s gaze darted toward the door, where a newcomer had arrived. Her eyes widened when she recognized the young man.

 

“Hyuga… _Takashi?”_

 

It was. Standing in the doorway of her hospital room was none other than her first opponent in the Chunin Exam finals from over five years ago.

 

“ _You’re a nobody. A freeloader who got by on the merits of others…”_

 

“ _Heh…maybe I’ll even put you out of your misery. Not kill you - just leave you unable to use chakra properly ever again.”_

 

“ _It’s about time you learned your place in the world…though it looks like you’re starting to learn it, on your knees like that!”_

 

No. No way in hell was  _he_ her therapist. This had to be a joke!

 

“Oh, you two know each other?” Ume nodded approvingly. “Good, good! I’ll leave you to it, then!” She patted Takashi on the shoulder on her way out.

 

Kaiya and Takashi stared at each other for another second before Takashi stepped into the room. He didn’t seem as shocked as she was, though by his frown and the just-noticeable tension in his shoulders, he didn’t look thrilled to be there, either.

 

Did he resent her for beating him all those years ago? Was he here just to see her like this, beaten not by a person but by a chakra wall? What must he think now? These were the questions on her mind, but instead she asked, “So…you do chakra healing now?”

 

“Mm.” He stopped a few paces away from her bed and she tensed involuntarily. His eyes caught her sudden stiffness and wary expression; he rolled them and huffed a sigh, crossing his arms. “If you believe I’m so petty as to hold a grudge, I do not. I am here in a professional capacity, and I will do my job.”

 

Kaiya sat up and carefully swung her legs over the side of the bed. This was a very different person from the Takashi she’d fought five years ago; there was still some snideness to him, but she was sure that back then, he’d have flat-out refused to even be in the same room as her. “You’ve changed.”

 

His pale eyes caught hers sharply. “What do you mean?”

 

“I mean…” Kaiya shifted uncomfortably. “Back then…the things you said to me…”

 

“If a few insults are what you remember-”

 

“They are,” she interrupted flatly, looking him directly in the eye. “You basically said that my place in the world was as a whore. It’s not exactly something you forget easily.”

 

“As I recall, _you_ enjoyed rubbing in _my_ face the fact that I am a mere branch member of my clan.” 

 

“I only said that because I knew it’d rile you up,” she argued hotly. “You’re the one who couldn’t control your temper!”

 

“I could simply leave right now,” Takashi stated in a matter-of-fact tone, half-turning toward the door. “But good luck finding a better chakra expert in our village.”

 

Kaiya closed her eyes and took a deep breath to calm herself down. “No. Wait. I’m sorry. I was just surprised, that’s all.”

 

“Surprised that a mere branch member would be your therapist?” he muttered.

 

“Why the hell would that matter?” Kaiya shot back. “Look, if you don’t want to work with me-”

 

“I said nothing of the sort.”

 

Exasperation, exhaustion, frustration all gathered in her voice as she blurted out, “Then what’s your problem?!”

 

Takashi arched a brow, his own voice annoyingly calm when he replied, “Now who’s the one with the temper? It seems you are the one with the problem.”

 

Kaiya had to take a few more breaths. Her problem? Her  _problem?_ “My problem is that I may never get to use ninjutsu again! So - are you happy? It’s what you wanted to do to me back then, isn’t it? I’ll bet this is just too sweet for you right now - seeing me  _crippled_ like this-” 

 

Her voice began to break, forcing her to cut herself off.

 

“I asked to take on this assignment.”

 

The statement startled her; at first, Kaiya wasn’t sure she even heard him right. In her surprise, she turned back to Takashi.

 

“Not to mock you,” he continued, a slight scoff in his voice. “Not to gloat. Believe it or not, I…” He paused, then sighed. “I admire what you’ve done.”

 

Kaiya blinked several times. “What?”

 

“You’re an important asset to Konoha,” Takashi said, too swiftly for her to truly believe that this was all that he meant. “What you did with that barrier during the invasion…it was idiotic, coming in such close contact with such virulent chakra, but it was more than anyone else could have attempted. As such, I will do what I can to help you get back to full health.”

 

Kaiya stared at him in shock once again. This really was a different person from the one she’d fought. He was calmer, better able to separate his feelings from his actions…still a bit of an asshole, but a much more mature one. And…he actually wanted to help her? “Can I? …be as I was?”

 

The veins around his eyes popped as he activated his Byakugan. “Let’s find out.”

 

* * *

 

On one of the higher rooftops of the village, the figure of a large man crouched near a railing. In his hand was a telescope, pointing down into the village. When he sensed someone behind him, he shifted the scope’s trajectory and let out a low whoop.

 

“Awww man…they just don’t make ‘em like that anywhere else! Can’t beat those Konoha girls, I’m telling ya!”

 

“Still up to your usual hobbies, I see,” greeted Kakashi from behind him, arms folded, expression bored.

 

“I don’t see you complaining about the results of my research,” the man retorted. “Every experience is important for crafting the scenes of my books. I need to soak up as much as I can!”

 

He didn’t have to turn around to know that Kakashi was shaking his head in mild exasperation. “It’s been a long time, Jiraiya-sama. How many years since you were last in the village?”

 

Jiraiya collapsed his telescope and stood up. “I don’t keep track.”

 

“You know the Elders will be looking for you any minute.”

 

Jiraiya shrugged. “Too bad for them - I’m not going to be their next Hokage.”

 

“You also know who will try to step in if you don’t,” Kakashi added in a low voice.

 

Jiraiya glanced back at him, brow raised. He had a good idea of who Kakashi meant, and though he didn’t have an abundance of experience with the old man who’d been Sandaime’s shady right hand, he knew enough not to doubt the hunger for power that Sarutobi-sensei had seemed blind to. “That old dog is back?”

 

“I have it straight from Nara Shikaku,” Kakashi affirmed. “Danzo is back on the Council. I think you’d agree that he’s not the ideal choice for leading this village.”

 

“Yeah, I’m not the guy’s biggest fan either,” Jiraiya conceded. “Jeez…he’d just turn this whole invasion business into a reason to double-down on military rule. And forget international relations - we’d wind up as closed a village as Amegakure by year’s end. Well, at the very least, I can offer them an alternative.”

 

“Why not stay in the village a while?” Kakashi prodded. “Perhaps it’s none of my business, but there are certain people here who’d benefit from you being around, even if it’s not as Hokage.”

 

Jiraiya paused. “I’ll be taking over Naruto’s training - that much I can guarantee - but not here. He’ll come with me to find our fifth Hokage; I’m sure I can teach him a thing or two along the way.”

 

“And after that?”

 

Leaning on the railing, Jiraiya looked out over the village. Much of it was in repair; scaffolding and sawdust blocked most of the view of the normally peaceful streets and shops. “Orochimaru really did a number on this place, didn’t he…you know, after he left, I kept tabs on him as best I could. Wasn’t easy - that guy’s as slippery as the snakes he summons. Always was. Anyway, I did manage to hear that he’d joined a group for a while before leaving about four years ago. This group…once I heard about them, I couldn’t  _not_ keep an eye on them, too.” 

 

Kakashi listened quietly, waiting for Jiraiya to get to the point.

 

“This group…it’s a gathering of nine or so S-class criminals. I haven’t gotten all of their identities down yet, but guess who’s one of them? Our very own Uchiha Itachi.” Jiraiya’s brow creased, his voice lowering with a hint of dread. “For the most part, they’ve been doing mercenary work at a competitive rate to the village system; people hire them when they don’t want their own names attached to a deed but also don’t want to spend a small fortune. It wasn’t much at first, just a gig here and there…but recently, they’ve shown signs of having other goals.”

 

“You think they’ve been using those jobs to gather money for something else?”

 

“Exactly. The question is…for what?” Pushing away from the railing, he turned to face Kakashi. “A group like that doesn’t just pop up out of nowhere, especially one made of so many Missing Nin. Something brought them together and is keeping them in line - a bigger goal, a greater purpose…and based on what I’ve been hearing, they’ve been looking for something very specific.”

 

Kakashi’s visible eye narrowed. “Naruto?”

 

“More specifically, the Kyuubi,” Jiraiya confirmed. “At least, that’s my current theory. Even if it isn’t so, Naruto’s gonna have people after him - after what he carries - all his life. He’s got to be prepared, and I’m the best one for the job. That’s why I came back - not to put on the Hokage’s hat, but to train him.”

 

He turned back around, pulling out his telescope as he did. Kakashi eyed his broad back for a moment before speaking again. “And her?”

 

“What about ‘her?’”

 

“You know who I mean.”

 

“What am I supposed to do?”

 

If Kakashi had an answer to that, he didn’t offer it. Instead, a soft ‘poof’ told him that the young man had disappeared. Jiraiya unfurled the telescope once more and aimed it downward; when he looked into the eyepiece and focused the lens, he saw the fluttering curtain of a hospital room and a head of bright hair beyond.

 

* * *

 

Kaiya closed her eyes and breathed as Takashi’s surprisingly soothing voice led her through the exercise. It was similar to basic chakra awareness training she’d gone through at the Academy, though back then, she’d never felt her own energy before. Now it was a familiar feeling, but she found it took more time to connect to it than usual. She fought frustration and tried to think of this as a “back to basics” exercise, something that would eventually lead to being at full health again.

 

“Focus first on your breath, on the flow of it as you inhale and it travels through your body, then is brought out in exhale. In…out. In…out. Good. Now…imagine your chakra as that breath, only it breathes not through your lungs, but through every part of your body. Tiny holes that open and close, allowing the energy to ‘breathe’…find it…feel it…”

 

Little by little, she became aware of that energy coursing through her system. It wasn’t as strong a current as she used to, but it was steady.

 

She didn’t need to tell Takashi that she’d found it - his eyes did that for him. “Good. Now…follow that flow of energy through your body, from your solar plexis out to your limbs-”

 

Kaiya hissed when she tried to follow her chakra into her arms. It was like a thousand burning needles had been jammed into her muscles and nerves, sending hot electric waves of pain shooting up into her chest.

 

“Pull back now.”

 

“No,” she breathed, trying to keep her focus steady. “I can still-”

 

She kept pushing, kept trying to force her chakra back into the blocked passageways of her arms-

 

Two firm jabs at the junctures of her shoulders and chest cut it off entirely and jolted her out of her trance. “What the-?!”

 

Takashi folded his arms and gave her an admonishing glare. “You would have torn your tenketsu points by pushing so hard. This isn’t something you can force through sheer will.”

 

He stood, making her scramble to get back up. No way was he leaving her in this state! Her arms would not support her though, making her flop back down onto her back; he’d cut off not only her chakra’s access to them, but her movement as well! “Hey! Wait-”

 

“I will release your arms in a moment,” he said. Instead of going to the door as she feared and leaving her in this state, he simply filled a cup with water. “However, I intend to keep your chakra cut off from them. I know better than most why you were called the ‘ _Relentless_ Red Flash’ in the arena; you don’t give up. Your stamina has worked for you in the past, but what you need right now is _patience._ Keep practicing your internal chakra sensing until our next session. By then, I expect you to have full awareness, or we will not move on to the next stage.” 

 

He released her arms, and as the feeling came back to them, she noticed there was less pain - probably because of the cut-off chakra. She gingerly took the cup of water from him when offered. “Thank you,” she muttered before taking a sip, suddenly parched.

 

“This will be a long process,” Takashi told her. “I intend to help you rebuild your chakra passages in your arms - right now, they are blocked, which is actually for the best. Your arms’ tenketsu points are wide open; any chakra that comes through will escape faster than your body can naturally replenish. You will have to learn to manually regulate your own chakra so that you don’t deplete yourself simply by moving.”

 

“That’s why you want me to have full awareness - so I know where exactly my chakra is going,” she surmised, her eyes drooping. She was suddenly exhausted, despite having done what seemed like very little.

 

Takashi took the drained cup back. “Rest for now. As I said, you expended more chakra in this exercise than you would expect; you must recover before we try again.”

 

Kaiya nodded and sank back into the pillow. She was asleep before Takashi made it out the door, but one thought stayed with her:

 

She could do this. She  _would_ do this. After all…she wasn’t the  _Relentless_ Red Flash for nothing. 

 

* * *

 

“Hey, ya think she’s awake yet?”

 

“Naruto, be quiet! We’re in a hospital, not an arena!”

 

“Fine, fine - hey, let me hold that-”

 

“No way. You nearly tripped coming up the stairs!”

 

“Awww, c’mon! It’s not like I’m gonna fall over in a flat hallway!”

 

As she drifted awake, Kaiya felt a small, amused smile turn up the corners of her mouth. She knew those voices, and as though they carried with them a bit of sunlight, they warmed her almost immediately. By the time they reached the room, she was even feeling a bit playful, closing her eyes again and feigning sleep.

 

A soft knock, them quiet steps. “Oh…I guess we should come back later…”

 

“Aw man…” Naruto's voice drew closer; Kaiya fought to keep her face blank. “I thought Kakashi-sensei said she was awake already!”

 

Kakashi? When had he been here? Kaiya shoved the question aside as she heard Naruto take another step toward her. She counted to three, then opened her eyes wide. “Boo.”

 

“GAH!” Naruto jumped back, nearly toppling over Sakura and another figure in the process. He recovered quickly, grinning widely and pointing at her accusingly. “Ha, I _knew_ you were awake, Kaiya-nee-chan! I knew it!” 

 

Suddenly, he launched forward and engulfed her in a hug. Kaiya flinched, but didn’t push him away. Instead, she gingerly brought her arms around him, a small smile gracing her lips. “Hey…what’s all this about?”

 

“It’s just…we didn’t think you’d make it, ya know?” he answered, his voice muffled by having his face buried in her stomach. “I mean…I knew you’d be fine, of course, you always are! But still…”

 

Warmth blossomed in Kaiya’s midsection, making her smile grow wider and brighter. “I’m glad you’re all okay, too. So tell me what happened!”

 

“Well first,” Sakura said, coming forward with with a large bouquet of flowers. “Here - they’re from all of us, a ‘get well soon’ gift!”

 

Naruto dislodged himself and Kaiya carefully took hold of the bouquet, admiring how…diverse the selection was. Yellow and white daffodils poked their heads out among giant orange tiger lilies; here and there, a stem of blue flowers that she faintly remembered as “salvia” stuck out in contrast. It was an odd combination, certainly not one any ikebana class would teach, yet somehow it worked.

 

“We each picked out something we thought you’d like,” Sakura said, a small, pale blush coloring her cheeks. “I chose the daffodils - they’re the first to bloom after winter, so they symbolize rebirth!”

 

That was when Kaiya finally noticed that there was a third person in their group; Sasuke had been so silent that she hadn’t noticed him hanging back near the door, hands shoved in his pockets. She smiled and gingerly picked out a tiger lily, by far the largest and most ostentatious flower of the bouquet. “Let me guess - Naruto?”

 

Naruto nodded proudly. “Uh-huh! Uh-huh! Picked it out myself!”

 

Kaiya giggled and ran her bandaged fingers lightly over a long stem of blue salvia. “And this one…Sasuke?”

 

Sasuke averted his eyes, a small pout taking hold of his mouth. “I just picked something to make these two shut up.”

 

Amused, Kaiya briefly considered poking holes in his claim by pointing out how his body language betrayed him, but decided against it. He - indeed, all three of them - had thought to bring her  _flowers_ . She wasn’t about to embarrass him for that. “Well, thank you - all of you. They’re beautiful!” 

 

Sakura took the bouquet back and set to work arranging the flowers in a vase. “We tried to get Kakashi-sensei to pick something too, but he’s been really hard to find. He shows up for missions - late, as usual - and disappears as soon as they’re done.”

 

“The village is down a lot of personnel,” Kaiya pointed out. “He’s probably busy with his own missions, too.”

 

She tried not to think about the fact that she had yet to see him herself. Was he angry with her for failing in her mission? That was the only explanation she could think of, though she hated the very idea of it.

 

“Yeah, right,” Naruto groaned, resting his head back against his hands. “He was here for like, most of the week!” Kaiya and his teammates looked at him in surprise. “What? I was here too, ya know! I saw him - he spent hours just sittin’ in here reading that weird porno of his!”

 

Kaiya felt her cheeks grow warm. Kakashi…he  _had_ been here? Then…why hadn’t she seen him yet? 

 

All three Genin were eying her in varying degrees of subtlety. “What?”

 

Sakura glanced at her teammates and bit her lip. “Well…we were all sort of wondering-”

 

“What’s goin’ on between you and Kakashi-sensei, Kaiya-nee-chan?” Naruto blurted out with the subtlety of a wrecking ball.

 

Kaiya’s face went from warm to scorching hot. “Eh?!”

 

Sakura smacked the blond upside the head. “Naruto, that’s  _not_ how you ask about something like that!” 

 

“Whaaat? They’ve been spending all that time together, and then Kakashi-sensei practically sleeps by her bedside while she’s out of it? C’mon, even I’m not that dense!”

 

Certain that she now must be the color of a tomato, Kaiya brought her hands up defensively, “Nothing’s going on! We're…friends, that's all!”

 

Though she wasn't sure “friends” was even the correct term. Were they? Sure, they'd spent some time together, training, chatting…they did have a couple of things in common…and what about those weird looks he still gave her on occasion?

 

“Hee hee…” Naruto’s face split into a fox-like grin. “Kaiya-nee-chan, you’re blushing!”

 

She threw her pillow at him. “Shut up!”

 

“So you’re all right?” Sasuke asked abruptly.

 

“Hm?” Kaiya gave them a bright smile and attempted a thumbs-up, but her hand wouldn’t close completely. She quickly hid it in her lap. “Yeah! I’m a little beat up, but I’ll be up and about in no time!”

 

Sasuke looked less than convinced, but it was good enough for Naruto. “Awesome! Hey, when you’re outta here, I gotta show you that new jutsu I learned for the final match! I didn’t get to use it ‘til we went after Gaara, but you should see the size of the toad I summoned then! His name’s Gamabunta and I’m totally the boss of him-”

 

As she listened to Naruto ramble on, Kaiya noticed that behind him, Sasuke was looking away, his brow tense and his mouth turned down. From here, she could see that his hands had formed fists within his pockets.

 

“Naruto,” she said, turning to the blond. “Could you do me a favor? If I give you the key to my apartment, could you bring some books by for me?”

 

Naruto nodded eagerly. “Mm-hm! Mm-hm! You can count on me!”

 

“Anything will do,” she added, knowing he’d have a hard time keeping track of titles. “I’m bored to pieces here!”

 

“You got it!”

 

As he left, Kaiya caught Sakura’s eye. She knew the pinkette would be reluctant to leave while Sasuke was here, but she silently begged her to take the hint. Thankfully, she did. “My mom needs me to help her with a few things this afternoon. Feel better, Kaiya!”

 

“Thanks!” After she left, Sasuke turned to leave as well, but Kaiya stopped him. “Sasuke. Wait a sec.”

 

He stopped, but didn’t turn around right away. “What?”

 

Kaiya shifted herself higher in the bed so that she was sitting fully up. “How are you doing?”

 

“You mean with the Juin?” he asked bluntly.

 

“Not just with that,” Kaiya insisted, biting back a sigh. Of course he’d assume that was all she cared about. “What happened with Gaara?”

 

“Why don’t you ask Naruto?” Sasuke shot over his shoulder, a hint of venom in his voice. “I’m sure he’ll be happy to fill you in.”

 

“I’m more interested in why you looked like you’d swallowed a lemon while he _was_ talking about it,” Kaiya replied, keeping her voice level and calm. “So spill. What happened?” 

 

Sasuke didn’t answer right away, and part of her feared he’d just leave and continue to bottle everything up. Then, finally, he spoke. “I couldn’t do  _anything._ But Naruto…he was…” 

 

Kaiya waited for him to continue, but he seemed to have a hard time finding the words. “You know…you keep calling him ‘loser’ and ‘idiot,’ but he really isn’t either. He’s a hard worker. You don’t always see it, and it can take a long time for it to pay off…but it sounds like it finally is. And you know why he works so hard?”

 

Sasuke was silent, but she could tell by his bowed head and stiff posture that he was listening.

 

“Because of you.” Kaiya couldn’t help a small smile when Sasuke turned to her with wide eyes and an open mouth. “It’s true. Ever since he first met you, he’s been obsessed with matching up to you. Oh, he’ll never admit it, but he was jealous…and he admired all you could do. You know how hard it was to get him to do his homework? Yet the moment I’d mention you, he’d snap to it, even if he made a ton of mistakes! I guess you could say you’re sort of a role model for him.”

 

Was it her imagination, or was there a slight flush to his neck? Sasuke looked hurriedly to the side, shoulders coming up defensively. “That idiot…”

 

“Cut him some slack, okay?” Kaiya then held up her hand. “Actually, don’t. Keep challenging him. You’ll both be better off for it - just…try to keep it friendly, ‘kay?”

 

He didn’t say anything, but did give her the tiniest of nods. She almost didn’t see it. She doubted he would open up about the fight, not right now - but at least he seemed a little more relaxed.  _Baby steps…_ “Hey. C’mere.”

 

Sasuke hesitated, but at her insistent beckoning, he hesitantly came toward her. Assuming she wanted to check on the seal around the Juin, he tilted his head as he drew closer - but instead, Kaiya reached out and wrapped her arms around him, making him go stiff.

 

“I’m glad you’re okay, Sasuke,” she muttered, holding him as tightly as she could with her injuries. He didn’t return the hug - she didn’t expect him to - but he marginally relaxed by the time she let go. “And I promise you - I _will_ find a way to get rid of that thing. You’re not alone in this.” 

 

Again, the tiniest of nods was all the response she got. Kaiya didn’t stop him from turning around and walking away this time. She’d said her piece - he needed time to contemplate and reflect. That’s just how he was.

 

Before he left, Sasuke paused at the door and half-turned toward her. “I’m glad you’re okay, too.”

 

* * *

 

As Sasuke trudged down the hospital steps, he thought about what Kaiya said. Could she be serious? True, he’d known for years that Naruto was fixated on him for some reason. He was brash, annoying as hell, always loudly proclaiming himself to be some great ninja when he could barely perform a basic Bunshin jutsu.

 

But that wasn’t the Naruto of today, was it? No, he answered himself almost immediately: this Naruto had learned to walk up trees in the same amount of time as him, had snapped him out of his fear-induced haze when they first met Orochimaru, had managed to bring down  _Gaara_ when he became that monster…and then there was that strange, otherworldly chakra he sometimes put off. Sasuke had never been able to catch it with his Sharingan - yet, anyway - but he wondered if it had anything to do with the blond’s recent progress. 

 

Curiosity began eating away at him. He  _had_ to know what made Naruto suddenly so strong! And…the kid wasn’t a complete loser, if he were being honest. He had his moments. From their most difficult and dangerous missions, Sasuke had to admit that Naruto did have his back. They even made a decent team when needed. 

 

As though summoned by his musings, Naruto himself appeared down the walkway in front of the hospital, arms laden with books. So eager to do anything for the one he nicknamed his “big sis”…he couldn’t begrudge the blond his relationship with Kaiya. He knew all too well what it was like to have no one; that loneliness wasn’t something he’d wish on his worst enemy.

 

Naruto nearly walked right into him, blinded by the pile of books he struggled to carry. “Watch it, dobe.”

 

“Eh?!” Naruto peeked out from behind the pile. “Teme - what’re you still doing here, huh?”

 

Sasuke gave a beleaguered sigh. “Give me some of those. You’ll knock over a gurney like that.”

 

Naruto eyed him suspiciously, looking caught between refusal and agreement. Sasuke took the choice away from him after a beat by simply taking half the stack. Naruto blanched, but followed him back into the hospital with only a low grumble.

 

As they climbed the stairs, after some hesitation, Sasuke finally said something more. “Hey, loser…after this…let’s go train together.”

 

Naruto stopped in mid-step and nearly fell backwards. He blinked a few times, then adjusted his hold on the books and continued up the stairs. “Wait - seriously?”

 

Sasuke rolled his eyes. “We’re teammates, aren’t we? Last I checked, that means working together.”

 

“Oh…okay…” He took a moment to gather his thoughts, no doubt trying to understand this sudden interest in teamwork, then spoke with the knuckle-headed confidence he was known for. “Right! Well, get ready, ‘cause I’m gonna whoop your butt, ya know!”

 

Sasuke’s muscles tingled with energy; he grinned, his mind already alight with tactics and strategies.  _We’ll see._

 

He failed to notice that for the past few minutes since Naruto showed up, he hadn’t once thought about vengeance, or clans, or a traitorous older brother.

 

* * *

 

A smooth breeze carried the sent of brine and seaweed - a familiar, nostalgic scent to his nose. Clouds moved swiftly overhead, signaling the arrival of a storm not far offshore. It was a hauntingly beautiful scene, but seemed lost to his silent partner. At their feet lay lifeless bodies - another perfectly executed mission in which he barely got to stretch his muscles.

 

“Guess we should get going - we have that new mission thanks to you. I bet you’re eager to get started!”

 

He watched as the man’s eyes slid to meet his own. There was no malice, no annoyance or indignation in that gaze; the mask was perfect, smooth and impenetrable. When he answered, it was simple, to the point, and delivered in a low, velvety voice.

 

“Not really.”

* * *

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember - you can find me on Tumblr and DeviantArt as KitMits! Check my profile for links. I also have a special TUTN Discord - message me if you're interested in joining :)


	9. Memories of a Dark Night

_The first time Kaiya saw a fist fight at the Academy, Gorou had to hold her back from trying to find a teacher to stop it._

 

“ _Why would the teachers stop it?” he asked her incredulously. “We’re all learnin’ to be ninja, right? Ninja fight. It’s what we do.”_

 

_She didn’t believe him at first. In the orphanage, fighting like this was strictly prohibited. Either you used your words and worked things out, or you had to hold two water pales for a full lesson period._

 

_When she saw one of the teachers standing off to the side, watching the fight with a critical eye, she realized that Gorou spoke the truth. This was a different world she’d entered, one with new rules that weren’t all laid out in a school book._

 

_As they watched, unable to tear their eyes away, another boy entered the scene. He seemed completely oblivious to the childish violence as he walked calmly past; when Kaiya saw one of the other kids readying a punch that would intercept him, she cried out._

 

“ _Hey! Look out!”_

 

_She needn’t have bothered. As she yelled, the boy, with the urgency of a sloth but the speed of a feral cat, twisted out of the way. The attacking kid overbalanced and crashed to the ground._

 

_One of the other kids, an upperclassman, growled at the newcomer. “Hey! That was my buddy there, you -”_

 

_He swung his fist; this time, the boy blocked the punch with his own smaller hand, showing a surprising strength against the older kid. That was it - a new fight had begun between the upperclassman and this kid who couldn’t have been any older than Kaiya herself._

 

_It was a sight to behold. The boy didn’t just dodge every blow thrown at him; he flowed around them, hopping over kicks like he was pulled by a wire and weaving around fists with ethereal grace. One by one, his attackers fell, many simply from losing their footing or clumsily crashing into each other. Only twice did Kaiya see him come in direct contact with any of them, and even then, it was only to redirect their momentum with a precise kick or push._

 

_ Once it was over, Kaiya stood rooted in place, eyes wide and shining, mouth open in awe. Before now, she’d participated in taijutsu class with the minimum of enthusiasm; it was part of becoming a ninja, so she did it. Now, she barely breathed; something sparked in her chest, and suddenly she  **had** to know how he’d done it, how he’d moved like that - and how she could learn to do the same. She stared at the strange red-and-white fan symbol on his back, awash with that need to learn.  _

 

_Gorou nudged her. “C’mon, let’s go find a ball or somethin’ - Kaiya-chan?”_

 

_Kaiya darted forward almost without thinking, intercepting the boy as he wandered toward the edge of the yard. “That was amazing, you know! How’d you learn to fight like that? You didn’t even get hurt once, and you didn’t really hurt them either! It was like - like - I dunno, but can you show me how to do it? Oh, I’m Kaiya, by the way! What’s your name?”_

 

_He stared back at her with wide eyes and a sheet-white face. For a second, Kaiya thought she must have scared him, but after seeing him fight, that seemed a ridiculous notion. So why was he looking at her like she was some sort of monster? Was it her hair? She still hadn’t seen any other redheads in the village…Cheeks burning under his intense gaze, she backed up a step, pulling at a crimson lock that fell over her shoulder._

 

“ _Sorry,” she said, looking away. “I - uh - didn’t mean to scare you, you know. I just…wanted to say all that, you know? And it’s okay if you don’t wanna show me how you did it, I mean, I’ll figure it out for myself if I have to!”_

 

_Gorou jogged up to them. “Hey, Kaiya-chan! What’s up? Oh - hey, you’re that Uchiha kid! The one everyone calls the genius!”_

 

_Kaiya blinked hard, eyes turning to saucers. So THAT was who this was! Of course - she’d heard of the kid in the other class who consistently aced every test, who was better at shurikenjutsu than most soon-to-be-graduates, who was rumored to be the most promising student since the Fourth Hokage was a child. What was his name again?_

 

_Kaiya shook her head to clear it before giving the boy a bright smile. “Ahh, it’s nice to meet you! I’m Fuumaki Kaiya - well, I think I already said that, but anyway…what’s your name?”_

 

_He was still staring at her, though his face had turned a more normal color again. He closed his mouth, which had been gaping from the moment she stepped up; Kaiya had the strangest sense of a curtain being drawn over his face as well._

 

“ _Uchiha Itachi…”_

 

_His soft voice trailed off a little at the end, but Kaiya barely noticed. She smiled at him again. “Nice to meet you, Itachi-kun! Um…do you wanna come play with us?”_

 

_Behind her, Gorou snorted. “Right, like the school genius wou-OW!” Kaiya elbowed him hard in the ribs._

 

_Itachi blinked at them. “I have to get home,” he answered in a faraway voice. “My…parents…they’re expecting me…”_

 

“ _Oh, okay! Maybe tomorrow!” Kaiya finally gave into Gorou’s tug at her arm and ran off with him toward the playground, leaving the strange boy called Uchiha Itachi behind, watching them go with an expression she couldn’t begin to name._

 

* * *

 

_"Kaiya…"_

 

_Her name floated to her on a breeze, the voice behind it achingly familiar._

 

“ _Kaiya…”_

 

_She ran toward the sound through the dark haze until the world suddenly came into sharp focus. This was…the Uchiha compound? That was their fan symbol on every wall and the back of every shirt -_

 

_She gasped, her steps faltering as she nearly slipped in a puddle…but not of water. The backs she saw were not of people standing, but lying face-down in more puddles; so many people, their bodies so still…and she didn’t need the moonlight to show her what that liquid on the ground was. She could smell it, its metallic stench pervading the air, making her want to gag._

 

_Blood._

 

_Her hand came to her mouth; her feet carried her a step or two backward, but her sandals were already stained with it. As her heart pounded in her chest, she looked around, eyes wide, every instinct she had screaming at her to run, to escape before whatever did this came back._

 

_"Kaiya…"_

 

_One of the bodies was calling to her in that devastatingly familiar voice. No, she didn’t want to see, didn’t want to know…but she had to. Her gaze dropped to the figure that was suddenly at her feet; with a whining moan, she met the brown eyes of someone she longed to see again…but not like this._

 

_It was Yuuma._

 

_He was lying face-down like the others, but his hand reached out for her. Shaking, she tried to go to him, to take his hand and pull him out of his place, but now he was leagues away and she couldn’t move her body. Blood dripped from his mouth as he called her name again. “Kai-ya…”_

 

_ And then  **he** was there, standing over her beloved teacher. His face was entirely in shadow, but his eyes glowed red in the darkness, piercing her and threatening to devour her in a void of nothingness. He raised his tanto, never taking his eyes from hers; Kaiya tried to yell for her teacher to look out, but no sound came from her throat, and why couldn't she move?!  _

 

_Then he brought the sword down on Yuuma, driving it through the man's spine. Yuuma sputtered, more blood spitting from his mouth. Despite the distance between them, she felt his blood spatter her feet and legs, saw with perfect clarity the light and warmth leave her teacher's eyes._

 

_"NO!"_

 

_Her voice finally sounded in the dark, echoing in the darkness - but it was too late. Yuuma was dead, and she couldn't do anything!_

 

_The other Shinobi came toward her with slow, deliberate steps. She tried to move, tried to do anything, but she couldn't!_

 

_The clouds shifted across the moon, letting its silvery light illuminate his red eyes…no, not red, they were black now, cold, but -_

 

_Were those tears?_

 

_"ITACHI!"_

 

Kaiya covered her mouth to muffle her scream as she bolted up in bed. Her other hand clenched the sheets around her, making her still-raw skin sting sharply. Ignoring the physical pain, she pounded the mattress with her fist, once, twice - she lost count, just kept pounding until the urge to scream had died down.

 

It was a dream, nothing but a bad dream. Still, as she fumbled to turn on her light, her eyes sought confirmation that she was in  _her_ bed,  _her_ apartment, as she had been for the past week. Cold sweat soaked through her top, making her shiver, but rather than huddle back into the restrictive sheets, she sprung out of bed and began pacing. Every step was another affirmation of reality, as was every desperate grip of her furniture and hair. 

 

She was home. She was safe. That night had been five years ago; it was over now.

 

Then why, she wondered as she wrapped her shaking arms around her torso, was she still shivering with fear?

 

Her eyes began stinging; it was difficult to breathe. Kaiya rushed into her bathroom and ran cold water, splashing it on her face and arms as they heated up despite the sweat. It helped calm her, but only for a moment; as soon as it wore off, her apartment began to feel far to small, far too enclosed. She needed air, moving air, and the sounds of life rushing past her ears.

 

Dressing hurriedly in dry clothes, she grabbed her jacket and flew out the door, not even bothering to lock it behind her.

 

It was still dark out; she had no idea what time it was and didn't care. All that mattered was that her feet were moving faster and faster, carrying her through the streets and up to the roofs in a blind loop around the village. She tried to let the wind rushing past her ears overtake the whispers in her head that repeated the same accusations over and over again.

 

_Not fast enough…not strong enough…_

 

_Too stupid…too gullible…_

 

_Your fault…_

 

Kaiya wanted to scream. It wouldn't stop, it would never stop!

 

Her feet carried her to a familiar balcony where she tapped on the window. Within seconds, the light turned on inside and Hikaru, wearing a plum-colored robe, unlocked it, stepping aside to let her in. "Kaiya? What's wrong?"

 

Knowing that her voice might break at any moment, she quickly whispered, "I had the nightmare again."

 

Hikaru nodded, understanding washing over his features as he guided her to the couch and laid a blanket around her shaking shoulders. “I’ll make some tea.”

 

Kaiya closed her eyes and tried to focus on her breathing. Her hands wouldn’t stop trembling; she tucked them tightly under her arms, but that made deep breathing difficult. An open posture felt too vulnerable and made the blanket slip from her shoulders. She shifted and repositioned herself, each pose a little too  _something_ to be comfortable. Feet flat on the floor, back tall, hands on her lap - at last, she started breathing more easily. The soft clinks and the hiss of steaming water helped lull her into an almost meditative trance where everything finally began to melt away, piece by piece…

 

The gentle  _clack_ of a tray being set on the table may as well have been cannon fire for how it made Kaiya jump. Her nerves were on fire, every little disturbance seeming far too loud, too bright, too startling. Hikaru sat next to her and handed her a cup. "Which one was it?" 

 

Kaiya cradled it with both hands, the warmth helping to lessen the trembling enough to keep a secure grip. "The one with Yuuma-sensei."

 

Hikaru flinched; he was familiar with that one. Her nightmare was always one of several variations on the theme of The Night, but the ones with Yuuma-sensei were the worst. They always came more frequently as the anniversary drew closer, but even after five years, they always caught her off-guard.

 

"I don't understand…" she whispered into the cup, her body slowly caving in on itself. "I didn't see Yuuma-sensei that night. I didn't know he was there until they told us. But every time…he's calling out to me, and I can't move to help him when…"

 

Hikaru put his arms around his shaking teammate as she started sobbing. He'd long given up trying to say any comforting words; there were no words to assuage the gnawing guilt and grief that arose like clockwork every year.

 

"What is wrong with me?" Her voice cracked and broke as tears moistened the shoulder of his robe. "Why can't I move on?"

 

"There's nothing wrong with you," Hikaru assured her, gently rubbing her back. “You did nothing wrong.”

 

_But I did,_ she wanted to say, but her voice was too broken to form the words. She’d trusted the wrong person, been blinded by affection to any possible warning signs. And there  _was_ something wrong with her: even now, five years later, something, some nagging doubt just out of reach in the back of her mind, refused to allow her to accept the truth. 

 

Uchiha Itachi had knowingly killed one of the most important people in her life - someone not from the clan he slaughtered, someone who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Why had Yuuma even been there in the first place? Or had Itachi sought him out, lured him in, and killed him out of some sick sense of spite for her? Had she even been that important to him that he’d make such an effort?

 

There was another question that ate at her sanity whenever the nightmares became bad again, one that she scarcely dared give voice to. It lingered in her head as her sobs faded and her breathing evened out into sleep.

 

If he’d killed Yuuma just for being there that night…why didn’t he kill her?

 

* * *

 

Across the village, Sasuke bolted up in his own bed, one hand clutching his sheet, the other covering one of his wide-open eyes. His breath came in loud, heavy gasps; with practiced discipline, he gradually slowed his breathing before he could hyperventilate. Passing out once from breathing too quickly had taught him control.

 

It also helped him to shake the myriad of emotions that came from the nightmare. The fear, the dread, the pure, unadulterated  _ shame _ \- they made him nauseous, though he knew from experience how to keep himself from vomiting because of it. He focused on his breathing, staring at a fixed point straight ahead rather than closing his eyes - he knew that if he did, he would just see their bodies again, see  _**him** _ standing over them, splattered with their blood. 

 

A shadow shifted in the corner of his room. Sasuke instinctively activated his Sharingan - it was just the curtains fluttering in the open window. He got out of bed and slammed the window shut, though its breeze had been welcome on his damp, overheated skin. In the darkness outside, his eyes picked out flickers of chakra all over the village below. He couldn’t differentiate between them yet; he wondered if that was even something the Sharingan could do. Making a mental note to ask Kakashi the next day, he risked closing his eyes until the scarlet faded to onyx. When he opened them, the flickers were gone, and he saw only his translucent reflection in the glass. Fair skin, black hair and eyes…people used to say he looked like his mother, same skin, same eyes and nose, same hairline, even.

 

Others said he was the spitting image of  _**him.** _

 

Sasuke hated his reflection because of that.

 

Turning away with a snarl, he went to his kitchenette and poured a glass of water. He would go back to bed in a little bit, though he knew that sleep was a matter of lottery at this point. There was no point in leaving his apartment; the darkened streets just brought him back to that night. There was no one he needed to see or talk to; no one would begin to understand, and he wasn’t a child. He hadn’t been one for a long time.

 

* * *

 

Kaiya half-listened to Nurse Ume as she chattered while undoing her bandages. She was accustomed to going on little sleep for days on end, but lately, the sleepless nights had made it hard for her to focus on much. It was partly the nightmares, she was sure; the medics said that her poor chakra circulation could also affect her energy levels. It was normal, they told her. To be expected given what she’d gone through.

 

They called it ‘normal,’ but for once, Kaiya wished she was anything but. She wanted her arms to magically heal, wanted her chakra to act normally again. Takashi preached patience, but she saw the way his mouth twitched downward during their exercises, the tightness in his brow when his eyes studied her tenketsu points.

 

Something still wasn’t working properly.

 

As the bandages came off, Ume’s brows rose in amazement; the skin beneath, which had been an angry, scaly black just a week ago, was now just blotchy and red.

 

“I’ve never seen burns like these heal so quickly,” she breathed, gently turning Kaiya’s arm this way and that. “I must check with the medic - we may be switching you to compression gloves as soon as today!”

 

Hope bloomed in Kaiya’s chest. Her arms and hands  _had_ been hurting less; she was even able to do slow, careful katas to regain flexibility in her muscles. Ume helped her pull on the compression gloves, which extended up to the top of her biceps. Flexing her hand experimentally, Kaiya found that the gloves provided much-appreciated support; thin padding accommodated as much movement as her muscles would allow while also providing mild shock resistance. She could grip a kunai handle again without worrying about chafing her still-sensitive skin - that, at least, was an improvement, and she decided to head to the training grounds that afternoon. Even if she couldn’t use ninjutsu, she refused to be helpless in case of an emergency. Maybe she could even keep working on the Hiraishin formula and have a few possibilities drafted by the time she could use chakra properly again.

 

Carefully, she brought her hands to the sign of the Ram. Normally, this would make her chakra snap to attention, ready for whatever jutsu she was about to weave. Right now, though…she felt nothing.

 

She tried not to think too much about it. After all, Takashi was purposely keeping her pathways blocked for the time being, until she was advanced enough to hold her chakra in. Not feeling her chakra respond right now didn’t mean much.

 

She still hated feeling so helpless without her chakra, though.

 

“Looks like you’re healing up well.”

 

Kaiya looked to the door in surprise and saw a tall, masked, silver-haired Shinobi leaning against the frame. “Kakashi…”

 

Part of her was elated to see him, making light shine behind her eyes and bringing a bubbly sensation to her chest and stomach. Then she remembered that he hadn’t been by since she woke up. Fears that he was avoiding her, that he blamed her for what happened to the Hokage, made her heart sink.

 

Ume took one look between them and made some excuse of checking on another patient before leaving. For a few seconds, a thick silence blanketed the room, punctured only by the sounds of a few medics and patients in the hallway outside.

 

Finally, Kakashi broke the silence. “Sorry I didn’t come by sooner.”

 

“No, no worries,” Kaiya quickly brushed off. “I know you’re probably busy, what with the state of the village and all…” Busy with missions, busy with helping to keep Konoha’s image of strength intact until it was back on its feet. Busy doing things she couldn’t right now. “Besides, I went home a while ago. I’m just here for an appointment,” she added, gesturing to the gloves.

 

“Ah…” Kakashi nodded toward her hands. “So…how are you doing?”

 

“I’m…” How was she supposed to answer that? That she was in mild but constant pain, that she couldn’t regulate her own chakra naturally, that she might never use ninjutsu again? And all because of a jutsu she failed at - a jutsu he had entrusted her to figure out? “I’m okay, I guess.”

 

He stood silently, as though waiting for her to elaborate; his single charcoal eye pierced into her blue ones when she glanced up, making her look away lest he see through her half-truth. Instead, she looked at her gloved hands, unable to meet his gaze again. “Kakashi…I’m…I’m sorry. I failed…”

 

“You have nothing to apologize for,” Kakashi stated with such certainty that she almost believed him. “If anything…I’m the one who owes you an apology. I shouldn’t have put so much on you.”

 

“But…you don’t know…” Kaiya’s whole body tensed as she inwardly debated with whether or not to say it. “I didn’t get there in time, and that was my fault…”

 

“Kaiya-”

 

“No, it’s true,” she interrupted. “On the way to the roof…I…I let someone get inside my head. I hesitated because - because I _wanted_ to listen to them. The things he said…it was stupid. It was just lies.” 

 

“What did this person say?”

 

She shrugged, her face burning with shame. “Things like ‘the village is lying to me about my parents.’ He said he knew who they were, and I…”

 

“You just wanted to know the truth,” Kakashi murmured. Kaiya stole a glance up at him, expecting exasperation or disappointment. She saw neither - instead, his visible eye was lowered in sympathy and he looked almost sad. “Kaiya-”

 

There was a knock on the door; it opened without awaiting an answer. It was Takashi - he froze and straightened at the sight of Kakashi. “Pardon me, Hatake-san - I’m here for Fuumaki-san’s appointment-”

 

“No, I should probably be going,” Kakashi waved him off. He caught Kaiya’s eye. “When you’re finished, though…I would like to speak with you about something.”

 

Blinking in surprise, Kaiya nodded. “Okay…um…see you later, then?”

 

He nodded back, his onyx eye noticeably warmer. “Later.”

 

* * *

 

Sasuke stared up at the sky as a single cloud drifted across the sun. His eyes were sore from lack of sleep; even training almost daily with Naruto couldn’t exhaust him enough to escape the nightmares. They always happened more often around this time, until he was forced to choose between self-induced insomnia or reliving The Night ever time he closed his eyes.

 

His lack of sleep showed in training this morning. Naruto -  _Naruto_ \- had actually caught him off-guard with a taijutsu move! That  _never_ happened. Sasuke’s brow pinched and a low groan escaped his throat at the memory. He’d just have to work harder, get faster. There was no way he was letting  _Naruto_ get the better of him again. 

 

Still…knowing that the blond was getting stronger, while it made his stomach churn with envy, was also a bit comforting. Heck, even Sakura was spending more time training these days and less time chasing him. They were becoming much more reliable teammates, which brought to mind something Kaiya had asked him months ago.

 

_ Did you ever consider that maybe they could  **help** ? _

 

Sasuke bit the inside of his cheek hard. No. He had to be the one to do this - he had to get stronger, become more powerful so that he could take  **him** down for good. It was his duty to his dead kin - he had to be the one to avenge them, to wipe the smudge that was Uchiha Itachi from their name forever. He couldn’t put that on anyone else, especially people he now saw as…comrades? Friends, even? With a sigh, Sasuke mentally admitted it: Whatever his teammates were, they were important to him. Maybe the most important people in his life now. He could rely on them in missions, but Itachi was  _ his _ responsibility. He had the Chidori now - a technique that pierced even Gaara's supposedly indestructible sand armor. He was faster, had faced other demons since that fateful night. He was stronger now. He was. 

 

He had to be.

 

A hawk circled overhead, catching Sasuke's eye. The way it flew, that particular figure-eight path…he'd seen this before when his teacher called on the team for a mission. "Kakashi? What does he want?"

 

"Who knows?"

 

Sasuke sat up and turned to see Kaiya walking toward him. "He called you too?"

 

“Sort of,” she replied, then smiled. "Mind some company?"

 

Sasuke shrugged. "Suit yourself."

 

He saw her roll her eyes from the corner of his own. They took a circuitous route through the village; construction made even the roofs tricky to navigate. Dust and the sounds of construction filled their lungs and ears along the way; the village was slowly coming back together after Orochimaru's attack, though with nearly half of the Shinobi forces dead or, like Kaiya, too badly injured for active duty, hands were few. Everyone was pulling double, sometimes triple shifts, taking on multiple roles to get the village working again. The civilians didn't just stand by; merchants donated their wares to help families who'd lost homes, construction workers performed without expectation of pay…the people rallied to make sure that the legacy of the Third Hokage wouldn't go to waste.

 

“It’s good to see everyone working together, isn’t it?” Kaiya commented, gazing around at the construction. “No one’s arguing, everyone’s just doing what they can…”

 

Sasuke barely noticed any of it, but he did note a tone of wistfulness, or perhaps even envy, in Kaiya’s voice. Glancing back toward her, he noted that gloves had replaced the bandages on her arms; she even wore a few of her usual packs. “How are your hands?”

 

Kaiya’s brows shot up at his question. “Oh - well…the skin is healing. I…won’t be able to use ninjutsu for a while, but I’m working on it!” She finished by giving him a overly bright smile that didn’t fully reach her eyes.

 

Sasuke let his gaze drop to the front again. He could relate to how she must be feeling right now; helplessness was not something he weathered well. “So you’re not on active duty yet.”

 

Kaiya sighed. “No.”

 

“Pretty well-stocked for being off-duty,” he remarked, nodding toward her various weapons packs.

 

“True,” she admitted, patting her belt and thigh packs. “But I feel better being prepared, you know? Just did some kunai training, actually. Aim’s a little off right now, but I’ll get it back soon, I’m sure. Only stopped to find Kakashi.”

 

Sasuke gave the barest of smirks to that. Maybe the blond dope was right and there  _was_ something going on between those two. Not that he cared. “Hn. Fair.” 

 

“And you? How’s training with Naruto going?”

 

Sasuke’s eyes snapped up to hers, brows first furrowed in confusion, then relaxing in understanding. “Naruto told you. Of course he did.”

 

“Yup. So?”

 

“It’s…fine.”

 

“Fine?”

 

“Hn.”

 

She sighed again, but didn’t press, thankfully. He didn’t want to admit that Naruto’s growth made him feel…left behind. If only he hadn’t frozen up during the fight with Gaara! No -  _he_ hadn’t frozen up, at least not by his own body’s will. It was that Juin that Orochimaru marked him with; it had responded to a moment of dreadful fear and put him into lockdown. Why?! Shouldn’t the seal Kaiya and Kakashi put on him have stopped it from doing that?

 

He shot another quick glance at the redhead. She was right here…he  _could_ bring it up. She’d probably get all worried and mother hen-ish…but she might be able to do something about it. Or could she? She said she still couldn’t use ninjutsu yet…

 

"Kaiya…" When was the last time he’d said her name aloud? It felt almost foreign on his tongue. His hand rose to his neck subconsciously as he uttered the question. "I was wondering…how does this seal work?"

 

She stopped dead in her tracks. "Is something wrong? Do you need me to check it?"

 

"No," he immediately answered, then flinched because that was probably true. "I mean…I just want to know more about it."

 

“Oh…” Kaiya looked like she was hiding a smile, which made his brow twitch in annoyance. "Sure. We can do that. How about after we meet Kakashi?"

 

He gave a small nod.

 

They finally reached Kakashi’s complex and climbed the stairs in silence. When they got to his door, Sasuke didn’t bother knocking and just turned the handle, only mildly surprised to find it unlocked. “Kakashi, what-”

 

He stopped abruptly. In the small apartment stood three Jonin: Asuma, Kurenai, and Guy, all with grave expressions. Kakashi, on the other hand, was in bed, eyes pinched shut, shaking and sweating like he had a fever. Yet he’d been fine when Sasuke saw him just a few hours ago near that cafe…the hair on the back of his neck stood up.

 

“Sasuke, you should really kno-” Kaiya nearly bumped into him, then gasped and hurried around him when she saw Kakashi. “What happened?! Is he-”

 

Guy stuttered, looking back and forth between the two younger people. “Erm, well, you see-”

 

“What _happened_ to him?” Kaiya demanded, leaning over Kakashi and gently swiping back sweat-soaked hair from his forehead. “He’s not hot…” 

 

Now a shiver ran down Sasuke’s back. These symptoms were far too familiar. “What the hell happened?! Tell us!”

 

Just then, the door opened again and another Jonin burst into the room. “Hey! I heard what happened - is it true  _Uchiha Itachi_ is back?! And that he’s after Naruto?” 

 

Sasuke froze, as did the world around him.

 

Itachi was back.

 

_Itachi was back._

 

And he was after Naruto.

 

In barely a blink, he was out of that room, ignoring the Jonins’ cries for him to stop. He was outside before he even registered having left, leaping from rail to roof across the village.

 

No. He would not stand by again and let Itachi take away another important person. He would stop it, no matter the cost.

 

* * *

 

Kaiya’s world came slamming to a halt. Itachi was back…Itachi was after Naruto?!

 

She took a step back, the color draining from her face. A thousand images went through her head, some of the bodies that lined the streets that night, some from her nightmares, and some from horrible visions of what  _**he** _ would do to the blond if he found him. 

 

When Sasuke sped from the room, Kaiya followed him on pure instinct. The thought that there might be nothing she could do never entered her mind; it didn’t matter if she couldn’t use ninjutsu, she would rather cut off her arms entirely than stand by while Itachi threatened Naruto! And there was no way in hell that she was letting Sasuke face this alone!

 

Sasuke clicked his tongue when he saw her keeping pace beside him. “Don’t try to stop me, Kaiya-”

 

“I’m not,” she called back, eyes trained forward as she ran. “But when we find Naruto, we _do not_ leave him under _any_ circumstances, do you understand me?” No answer. “I said, _do you understand me?!”_

 

The severity of her tone caught his attention and he reluctantly nodded. “Got it. We’re not losing him.”

 

They checked everywhere they could think of - Naruto’s apartment, the training grounds he and Sasuke had used earlier, even the Academy, but he was no where to be found. Finally, the chef at Ichiraku was able to give them a lead: Naruto had left the village hours ago with a large, white-haired fellow, and they were supposedly heading for a nearby outpost town.

 

They ran at full-speed, neither speaking, both entirely focused on what was to come. Kaiya tried to put together a plan in her mind. With any luck, they would find Naruto and this ‘white-haired fellow’ before Itachi did; they’d warn them of the danger and bring Naruto back to Konoha where Anbu and a whole host of Shinobi could protect him.

 

But Itachi had slaughtered arguably the most powerful clan in Konoha in a single night - many of whom had been accomplished Jonin. Would Anbu and the remaining Jonin, without Kakashi, really stand a chance?

 

She tried not to let the thought panic her. They had to get to Naruto first; that was something within her control.

 

And if Itachi found him first - if they encountered him at all…Kaiya steeled herself. Sasuke had his Chidori, she still had her speed and weapons; they both knew how the Sharingan worked. They would prioritize getting Naruto out of there rather than fighting the Missing Nin. And that was all he was - a criminal. A statistic.

 

Her stomach churned as the outpost town finally came into view a good hour later; it would have taken Naruto at least three times as long to walk there, so chances were he was still somewhere in town. They started with the inns, asking if a blond boy had come in with a large, white-haired man. Inn after inn, the answer was ‘no;’ by the eighth try, Kaiya wondered both how many inns were in this town and whether the pair had already moved on - or if they had ever been here to begin with. It could have been a ruse, mentioning where they were going in public while they actually went in a completely different direction. Kaiya almost hoped so; maybe then Itachi wouldn’t be able to find them, either.

 

“Oh,” pondered the elderly woman at the desk of the ninth inn. “Actually, I do believe I’ve seen such a pair…let’s see, where were they…ah! Here-”

 

Once she gave them the room number, Sasuke and Kaiya dashed down the hall. Sasuke banged on the door, yelling for Naruto to open up. The door opened-

 

It was the wrong room.

 

Swearing, Kaiya grabbed the teen and pulled him with her to the next inn, then the next, and the next, each time becoming more desperate, more panicked.

 

Then, just when she was ready to scream in frustration,  _they found him._

 

But they hadn’t been the first.

 

Naruto was there, just a few meters ahead in the hallway - but there were two people between them. Long, high-collared black cloaks with red clouds obscured their figures; one was incredibly tall with a gigantic sword strapped to his back. The other…the other one didn’t turn around, but Kaiya knew that it was he who addressed them. She would know that dark, velvety voice anywhere.

 

“It’s been a long time, Sasuke…Kaiya.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please don't hate me for this cliffhanger. It'll be worth it!


	10. Meeting at the Inn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So, in doing the timeline for Itachi and Kaiya’s early relationship…well, I wound up stretching it just a bit. They reconnect when Kaiya's 11 and Itachi's 12 (they're 6 months apart), and the following flashback is about a year later. I think the closest estimate we get in canon for when the massacre happened was like, mid-summer-ish when Itachi was 13, though even that’s a bit fuzzy. Soooo…I’ma say that the massacre happened later while he’s still 13. Maybe six to ten months later. Kishi’s “timelines” are annoying and practically non-existent. So yeah. On with the show!

* * *

 

_Kaiya landed and checked her aim: all but two of the kunai she'd thrown in midair had landed within the bulls' eye range, and those other two had come within centimeters. She huffed. "Still off somehow!"_

 

_Coming to stand next to her, Itachi smiled, his face softening at the sight of her frustration. "You're over-arching the throws behind you. Don't try so hard - trust your aim."_

 

_"Yes, sensei," she drawled through a smile. Together, they walked around the field, gathering her kunai. It had been almost a year since they started training together, though to Kaiya it felt like they’d been doing this for a lifetime. She felt at once comfortable and nervous around Itachi, her stomach doing flip-flops when he smiled, her cheeks heating when his long-lashed dark eyes caught her own. Yet conversation was surprisingly easy with the otherwise taciturn Uchiha - or maybe he was just exceedingly tolerant of her motor-mouth tendencies. The few times he did volunteer to speak, it would either be with something so profound that she felt in awe of his intellect and wisdom, or so dryly witty that she couldn’t help but laugh. Even better was that her laughter always seemed to surprise him, which only made her double over again._

 

 _Kaiya reached for one of her kunai at the same time as him; their hands brushed, and Kaiya felt a jolt of hot electricity travel up her arm and spread across her chest. She flinched back, as did he; their eyes met, then with sheepish grins they looked away at the same time. Kaiya yanked the kunai out and tucked her hair behind her ear, keenly aware that his gaze had returned to her. What was he looking at? Did she have dirt on her face? Kamis, she hoped not! That would be too embarrassing. Yet at the same time, she berated herself for caring. So what if she was a little dirty? They_ had _just been training, albeit just with kunai throws…Maybe it was good that he kept looking at her, though. Maybe it meant that what she planned to do would go over well._

 

_They finished gathering the kunai, and as Kaiya set them down on a stump, the butterflies in her stomach fluttered into a storm. There was no point in putting it off any further; it was like Hikaru and Gorou had told her - ‘just go for it.’ She doubted they knew she was talking about doing this with the heir of the Uchiha clan, though._

 

_"By the way,” she spoke up, making him look to her again. “Happy Birthday."_

 

_Itachi blinked, brows rising a full centimeter. It was just like him to forget his own birthday, Kaiya thought, cheeks coloring._

 

_"I…I couldn't actually get you a present," she continued. "To be honest, even if I'd had time, you're impossible to shop for, and I didn't just want to get you dango again…but there is something I'd like to give you." She turned to face him fully, but could barely bring her eyes to meet his. They were too dark and intense - if she looked at them for too long, she’d lose her nerve!_

 

_Itachi shook his head. "Kaiya - you don't have to -"_

 

_"I know," she said. Her cheeks got redder, but she did look up at him, blue eyes bright through auburn lashes. "But I want to. And…well, I guess I've wanted to give you this for a while now…"_

 

_She stepped forward, closing the distance between them. Raising herself slightly on her toes, she placed her hands on his shoulders, closed her eyes, and pressed her lips to his. His lips were cooler than she expected, a mix of soft and firm; they molded to hers automatically, and for a second, Kaiya was so lost in the sensation that the dizziness of nerves didn’t bother her._

 

 _It lasted barely a second before she pulled away - and_ then _her nerves threatened to flatten her. Biting her lip, she looked at him for his reaction with a mix of dread and excitement. His eyes were wide; he looked like he'd stopped breathing. He stared at her like she was some new species of creature he’d just found, though for the life of her, she couldn’t tell whether that was a good or bad thing._

 

_Naturally, her mind jumped to “bad.”_

 

_Oh crap, she thought. Why the heck did I do that?! What made me think that was a GOOD idea? Dammit, Kaiya, you're an-_

 

_Her thoughts came to a halt when Itachi leaned forward and met her lips with his own. It took a couple of tries before their mouths fit just right, but when they did, she felt like her insides were melting, like her bones and muscles were turning to liquid, making her knees buckle. Itachi's hands found her waist, giving her just enough support to keep from falling. When they pulled away, both of them had flushed cheeks and shortened breath._

 

_"Umm…" Kaiya breathed, needing to fill the silence that followed. "Wow…" Her hands were still on his shoulders, warm through his shirt - and his were still on her waist, making her skin tingle almost maddeningly. Her blue eyes raised to meet his intense black ones, and the world came to a stop._

 

_This time, they both leaned forward, meeting in the middle. As with everything, Itachi was quick to learn, stroking her lips gently with his own in a way that sent shivers up her spine. They kissed again and again, their bodies pulling closer with every return until Kaiya’s arms rested directly on his and their chests touched. His grip tightened on her waist as though he was afraid she’d disappear-_

 

_Then he pulled away suddenly, resting his forehead against hers, eyes closed. "That's…that's enough for now…"_

 

_She giggled, giddy from the rush of signals coursing through her body and mind. "Did you like your present, though?"_

 

_He smiled, his breath warm against her face. "Yes."_

 

_Relief nearly stole the strength from her legs. She wanted to kiss him again, felt like she could spend the entire afternoon doing just that, but she didn't want to push her luck. "I…I guess I should go. I should make sure Naruto hasn't been pranking again…" Yet she couldn't bring herself to pull away completely._

 

_"Mm…and I promised Sasuke I'd help him with his shuriken practice," Itachi responded. He pulled his forehead away from hers, but his hands stayed at her waist._

 

_"Well…" Kaiya started. "I'll see you around…soon?"_

 

_"Soon," he promised. He leaned forward one more time and met her lips softly, lingering a hair's breath away before pulling back completely and taking his hands with him. She missed the contact immediately, but made herself back away and leave the field._

 

_After she was a good distance away, Kaiya jumped in the air and let out a subdued yelp of joy before breaking into a run, her entire being alight with energy._

 

* * *

 

In the years since the Uchiha Clan Massacre, Kaiya had tried to bury any feelings she had for the person in front of her. Rage, betrayal, fear, attachment - none of it would help if she saw him again, she figured. She'd need a clear head and a plan to see him taken down. She was a Konoha shinobi, and he was a Missing-Nin from her village, wanted dead or alive. Simple.

 

She was wrong. Nothing could have prepared her for seeing him again.

 

Objectively, she noticed that he was taller, though the cloak hid his frame from view. His face was more chiseled and had lost the last bits of youthful softness he’d had when he left. At six months older than she, he was a man now.

 

A man who’d slaughtered his own people at age thirteen.

 

The man who had murdered the closest thing she had to a father.

 

A maelstrom stirred in her veins, building like a scream and threatening to burst. The sight of him had blood rushing in her ears and her heart pounding like a frightened rabbit’s. Yet…in that first second that she laid eyes on him, Kaiya also saw the boy she’d given her first kiss to. A boy who once held her mind and heart in a way no one had before or since. A boy who was slowly being crushed by the demands of his clan, who once confided in her that he wanted a world without war, who’d held her in his arms and whispered that he would always want to protect her…

 

Who had tears in his eyes that night…

 

She stood rooted to the spot, unable to move or even think upon seeing those scarlet eyes. Images of bodies laying in pools of blood along the dark streets flashed through her mind, taking on faces of everyone she loved. Naruto…Sasuke…

 

She had to get them out of here!

 

Beside her, Sasuke’s hand crackled with energy. Before she could stop him, he launched toward his brother, his Chidori tearing through the inn’s wall. Naruto was just behind the two Missing-Nin - using the Chidori as cover, Kaiya flickered past them, grabbing Naruto and swinging him out of the way. She turned to do the same with Sasuke-

 

Two things happened simultaneously: With a single hand, Itachi caught Sasuke’s left wrist, catching a pressure point and dispelling the Chidori; and before Kaiya could reach for him, the other Missing-Nin’s wrapped sword came down on her. She leaped back, narrowly missing the swipe and dodging its follow-up by mere millimeters in the narrow hall.

 

“Hoho…” The large, blue-skinned ninja grinned down at her with a mouth full of pointed teeth. “You’re pretty quick, aren’t you? Hey Itachi - if that kid’s your little brother, then who’s this? Your ex-girlfriend?”

 

Itachi’s scarlet eyes flicked briefly to her, Sasuke’s arm still in his grip. “No one of consequence.”

 

With just a twist of his wrist, he broke Sasuke’s arm. Kaiya’s eyes went wide at the sound of the boy’s scream, her pupils shrinking to pinpricks, her blood boiling. Any thought of fleeing left her head in that split second; he hurt one of her boys.  _ He hurt one of  _ _**her** _ _ boys. _

 

With a feral yell, she let go of Naruto, flickered around the Shark Nin, kunai appearing in each hand, and attacked the older Uchiha.

 

It was no use. As fast as her blows were, as precise her aim, every one was deflected. Itachi’s movements were minimal, almost casual; he barely moved five centimeters for all of her efforts. A strong kick to her midsection sent her flying backward into a wall. Her back exploded in radiating pain, the impact making her see stars. As she regained her footing, she saw Itachi coming toward her with unhurried steps and glowing red eyes.

 

“GET AWAY FROM HER!”

 

Naruto sprang into the fray, eyes wilder than she’d ever seen. His pupils turned to slits; his fingers curled into claws that swiped at the older Uchiha. The air vibrated as just-visible streaks of orange energy began swirling around him.

 

Again, the giant sword came down, narrowly missing Naruto’s back but shredding his jacket all the same. The blond turned on the Shark-nin with a growl, but Kaiya dashed forward and gripped him around the waist, pulling him back.

 

“Calm down,” she hissed in his ear. “Calm down, Naruto!”

 

She barely had time to think as the Shark-nin came at them. She leaped backward to avoid the blade again and again. Naruto squirmed in her arms.

 

“Put me down, I can fight!”

 

“No,” she said, jumping again. The sword created a small crater in the floor where she’d just stood. “When I let go, you _run._ ” 

 

“No way,” he yelled, twisting to escape her hold. “Not gonna happen! I’m not leaving you guys!”

 

He jerked free and crossed his fingers for a Kagebunshin - only to widen his eyes in horror.

 

“I - I can’t mold my chakra!”

 

The Shark Nin gave them no time to think, swinging his sword toward them with devastating force. Kaiya leaped out of the way, once again pulling Naruto with her as the sword made another hole in the floor. Again she was forced back to avoid the giant sword; again it missed, but this time, she felt something. Her training with Takashi had made her hyper-aware of her chakra flow, and more than once in their sessions she had felt it leave her system entirely. She felt that again now, but not through her arms. No - when the sword came near, even though she was dodging, the blade seemed to be cutting through more than just air.

 

_It’s that sword…it’s siphoning our chakra!_

 

Behind the Shark Nin, she could just make out Sasuke struggling to his feet, clutching his broken arm but still trying to attack his brother. She wanted to call out, tell him to just run, but she had to deal with the enemy in front of her.

 

She shoved Naruto past the Shark Nin while she reached for a sealing tag from her pack. Dodge, dodge, feint - she moved with no intention of landing a strike, only evading the sword until she was at the big man’s back. Then she slapped a tag onto the sword and weaved a hand sign.

 

“Fuin: Chakra suppression!”

 

Nothing happened. Kaiya looked dismayed as the Shark Nin grinned. “Heh! Nice try, but Samehada doesn’t give off chakra - it eats it!” 

 

Kaiya wiped the fake expression from her face and leaped backwards - just as an explosion ripped through the hall. She knew she wouldn’t be able to use an actual jutsu like that; the Chakra Suppression tag had been a decoy, covering the explosive tag that needed no activation. The blast rocked the building and knocked the Shark Nin into a wall so hard that debris came tumbling down around him.

 

Kaiya hurried back to the others and rounded the corner just in time to see Naruto on the floor, limbs shaking as he tried to get up. Itachi lifted Sasuke's bruised and bloody body by the throat, forcing him into eye contact.

 

“NO!”

 

Kaiya flickered forward, wedging herself between the man and boy, but it was too late. Sasuke screamed, already caught in the nightmare Itachi had fashioned for him. Kaiya’s eyes caught the spinning tomoe of the Sharingan before she could shut them; she brought a kunai up, but Itachi caught her wrists, pinning them to the wall behind her and forcing her to lean back awkwardly lest she crush Sasuke’s prone form.

 

“It was wrong to get involved in this,” Itachi muttered, his face barely inches from her own. “Especially in your current condition.”

 

His Sharingan flicked to her arm; his hand squeezed harder, making her bite back a pained grunt as it sent needle-sharp pains up her arm. She shut her eyes tight, but she’d already seen his…so why wasn’t she in a genjutsu like Sasuke?

 

“Why do all this?” Her voice shook from the effort to keep both her balance and her wits. “You’re not after Sasuke - why torture him again?!”

 

“I warned him. He did not listen. Would you prefer I simply killed him?”

 

It took all her willpower not to open her eyes and spit in his face. “What is this, a game to you?!”

 

Itachi let out a thoughtful hum, as though she’d simply posed a philosophical question. “Who’s to say we are not all pieces in a game?”

 

“Well, _this_ game stops here!” 

 

It was a new voice that bellowed through the hall. Itachi’s eyes shifted and Kaiya’s opened; behind them, carrying the unconscious body of a woman over his shoulder, was a man at least as big as Gorou with a mane of wild white hair. He grinned widely at the group, lifted his free hand, and dropped into a dramatic pose.

 

“That’s right,” announced the man in a loud, boisterous voice. “Be amazed! Jiraiya, the legendary Toad Sage, has arrived!”

 

Itachi and Kaiya both just stared blankly at him from their positions. The Shark Nin came calmly around the corner, rubbing his temple and looking like he’d been briefly knocked out. The sound of a light fixture fizzling out punctured the silence.

 

Jiraiya sweat dropped. “Really? Nothing?”

 

Itachi let go of Kaiya, his hands flashing through signs.

 

_Katon: Gokyaku no jutsu!_

 

But Jiraiya was just as quick, nicking and slamming his hand to the floor.

 

_Kuchiyose no jutsu!_

 

With a poof of smoke, a large, black toad appeared in the middle of the hall and opened its mouth wide. The flames went straight down its throat.

 

“That’s the Fire Swallowing Toad of Mount Myoboku for ya,” Jiraiya said with a grin, already forming other hand signs. “You just gave him a good snack! And now…”

 

_Ninjutsu: Toad Mouth Trap!_

 

As Kaiya watched open-mouthed, the walls, floor, ceiling - the entire building shifted and morphed, becoming soft and slimy. The strange tissue absorbed Sasuke and wrapped around the Missing Nins’ feet; Naruto lost his balance and shook his head in confusion. “Pervy Sage…?”

 

“I really wish you wouldn’t call me that in front of people,” Jiraiya groaned. “But stay where you are, Naruto - trust in my jutsu. Now, you two…” He addressed the Missing Nin. “That was a pretty dirty trick you pulled, using that woman to separate me from Naruto.”

 

“I see,” Itachi mused. “So that’s how Kakashi-san knew what we had come for - you told him.”

 

_Kakashi?_ With a jolt, Kaiya put together what must have happened.  _Itachi…Kakashi tried to fight him…_

 

And now he was comatose.

 

“Yes, Naruto is the prize Akatsuki is after,” Itachi continued, his gaze sliding down first to the blond boy…and then to Kaiya. “And we will have that prize.”

 

A chill ran down her spine even as fire raged through her veins. “Like hell you will!”

 

“Kaiya.” The Toad Sage’s stern voice kept her still. “Take care of Naruto and Sasuke. I’ll deal with these two-“

 

Without warning, Itachi burst free of the strange tissue holding his feet and dashed past Kaiya and Naruto down the side hall. “Kisame!”

 

The Shark Nin slashed at the floor, freeing himself and running after his partner.

 

“It’s no use,” Jiraiya called. “You’re in the belly of the Great Mountain Toad! There’s no escape-“

 

The sound of something bursting open filled the hall; Jiraiya hurried around the corner, Kaiya close behind him. At the end of the hall, the outside world could be seen through a hole wreathed in black flames.

 

“I don’t believe it,” Jiraiya muttered. “They actually got through the toad’s stomach lining…”

 

Kaiya’s hands clenched into fists at her sides. A different sort of fire coursed through her, making her muscles coil in anticipation. “They haven’t gotten away yet!”

 

She burst forward, ignoring Jiraiya’s call for her to stop, and dove through the opening without touching the flames. A river ran alongside the inn; if she were making a swift getaway, she’d use it to cover her scent and tracks. Experimentally, she stepped onto the water’s surface; her chakra channeled to her feet with practiced ease. Thank goodness - she could at least use her chakra to run on the water! With a burst of speed, she flickered down the river, intent on catching up to the two Missing-Nin, not knowing what she’d do once she did.

 

At last, she saw them up ahead, their figures mere dots against the horizon. To her surprise, Itachi stopped; his partner kept going as he turned to face her. She skidded to a halt a few meters away - easy shouting distance, but far enough to afford some small measure of defense.

 

"Your body flicker has improved," Itachi commented as though talking of the weather. His voice sent shivers under her skin. “But did I not already say that it is unwise to get involved in your condition?”

 

“I think you’re more tired than you’re letting on,” she retorted, keeping her distance and training her eyes on his necklace. “Those eyes use a lot of chakra, and you used them on both Kakashi and Sasuke already…but not on me. I figure there’s a limit to how much you can use that genjutsu.”

 

“Be careful of such assumptions,” Itachi told her. “You are correct - the jutsu I used on them has limited uses. However…” He raised a single finger in her direction. “It is not the only genjutsu I possess.”

 

The world shifted nauseatingly around her, the landscape swirling and making her dizzy. Kaiya fought to keep her footing and get ahold of her chakra. The disorientation made it impossible to channel it, even if she could do so normally; she felt like she was grabbing at a thread that swayed in the wind just out of reach. But how had she'd been caught in it when she'd avoided his eyes?!

 

“Why did you follow me?”

 

His voice was everywhere - in the air, in her mind, his breath at her ear though his body was still meters away. Kaiya tried to move, tried to do anything except speak. He repeated the question:

 

“Why did you follow me, Kaiya?”

 

This time, it wasn’t just his voice that was at her ear; Itachi himself was behind her, heat radiating from his body, the scent of burning wood and light musk surrounding her like a cloak. It threw her off as much as the swirling landscape did.

 

“W-why did you _let_ me follow you?” Kaiya responded, trying to keep her mind focused. He was fast - always had been - and even though she'd often proved herself to be swifter, he was far more adept at evasion. If she caught up to him, there was no doubt in her mind that it was because he allowed it. 

 

Long fingers brushed her neck as he gently pulled her hair from her shoulder. The touch was so soft, so eerily familiar to her, that it made her want to lean back into him. His velvet voice, devoid of emotion, caressed her skin. “Why don’t you ask what is really on your mind?”

 

“Why are you after Naruto?” she demanded immediately.

 

“It is my mission.”

 

“Why?!”

 

He leaned in closer to her ear. “What do you think?”

 

“…the Kyuubi,” she whispered, barely aware that she’d said so aloud.

 

“Clever girl,” he murmured, a derisive smirk on his lips. “Anything else?”

 

Kaiya saw her teacher’s face, eyes pleading, hand reaching out for her as the sword was plunged into his spine. Rage boiled in her veins, helping her regain focus and ignore the dizziness. “Why did you kill him?!”

 

“You'll have to be more specific,” he breathed. “I’ve killed many.”

 

A growl escaped her chest. “My teacher, you bastard!”

 

Kaiya made her limbs move, whirling around and jabbing at Itachi’s form - but he dissolved into a flock of crows, reforming behind her and putting her into a lock. How could he be so solid now, even in an illusion?!

 

“I killed an entire clan,” he murmured, his breath hot on her skin. “And you want to know about a single man? No…you should know the answer to that already. Ask what it is you _really_ want to know.” 

 

Kaiya struggled fruitlessly against his hold. There was no way out of this lock; her helplessness seeped into her bones. She let her body go limp as resignation and a deep sense of defeat took the strength from her limbs.  When she spoke again, her voice was small, as weak as she felt in that moment, and just as lost. “Why didn’t you kill  _me_ that night, too?” 

 

She was met with only silence.

 

Suddenly, the landscape stopped swirling. Kaiya started to feel her chakra control return - was the illusion breaking down? Before she could react, she heard Itachi’s voice in her ear once more, a whisper that half-dissolved in the wind.

 

“Go home, Kaiya.”

 

Kaiya fell to her knees, barely channeling her chakra in time to not fall through the surface of the river. She looked around desperately - but she was alone. The air was still; only the sound of the water and the birds met her ears. And Itachi…

 

He’d never even been there, she realized. He must have let her catch a Shadow Clone…or maybe he'd cast the illusion as early as in the hallway when their eyes met for that half-second. This had all been useless. She’d gotten herself caught in a genjutsu created by a  _clone_ \- and for what? She had no answers. She had nothing but her life to show for it. 

 

And why  _was_ she still alive? Kaiya pounded her fist against the water’s surface with a growl. Why didn’t he just kill her?! This time, that last time - what, did he just like toying with her? Did he get a kick out of watching her chase him? Why?! 

 

Tears of frustration sprang to her eyes and she fought to hold them back. This was ridiculous…why had she followed him in the first place?! She knew she was no match for him, especially in her state. She never had been. She hadn’t been able to protect the boys from him -

 

The boys.

 

Kaiya swiftly stood and rushed back toward the inn. The boys…she had to get back to her boys! What had she been thinking?!

 

The black flames were gone by the time she returned. Someone else had arrived in her absence: Might Guy stood in the hall, speaking quietly with Jiraiya. Naruto was conscious, looking shaken but otherwise okay - but Sasuke…

 

“What in hell did you think you were doing?!” Jiraiya exploded at her as soon as she set foot in the nearly demolished inn. “Going after two S-class criminals alone - are you even listening to me?!”

 

She wasn’t. She knelt by Sasuke and Naruto and brushed a dark lock from the former’s face. Bruises were already forming where Itachi had beat him; blood dried on his lip and down his chin. His broken arm lay in an awkward angle at his side. This was worse than the last time, when he got away with a few scrapes and a shallow cut from a shuriken. It had taken him days to wake up then…she wondered, looking at him now, if he’d even be able to awaken on his own this time.

 

“I’m sorry,” she whispered to his unresponsive form. She’d failed to protect him. She’d failed to do anything of consequence.

 

Again.

 

“Kaiya-nee-chan?” Naruto’s voice sounded so small, so unlike his usual boisterous self. “Is he gonna be alright?”

 

She wished she knew. Sasuke’s face was pinched in agony; whatever hell Itachi had put him in, it looked like he was still there. Fatigue was began to set in, weighing down her very bones, and not just from the physical fight. “We need to get him to the hospital.”

 

“I’ll take him,” Guy said, his own face uncharacteristically grim. “Looks like he got hit with the same jutsu as Kakashi…we’re gonna need a true medical genius to help them, not just the standard care.”

 

“That’s exactly what Naruto and I are doing,” Jiraiya answered, arms crossed. “We’re going to find none other than Tsunade-hime herself. If anyone can heal them, it’s her.”

 

Tsunade…the third of the legendary Sannin, the creator of the medical corps and famous healer who hadn’t been seen in Konoha for over a decade. Perhaps that should have brought Kaiya relief, but another part of Jiraiya’s statement stuck in her mind.

 

“You’re taking Naruto?”

 

“Yup,” Jiraiya answered. “He and I have an agreement on some training-“

 

He was cut off by Kaiya’s fist in his jaw.

 

“How _dare_ you?!” 

 

Jiraiya rubbed his jaw and looked down at her, confused. He hadn't even seen her move. “What the hell’s this about?”

 

“You left him alone to be found by _them_!” she screamed. “They would’ve taken him because you were off doing Kamis-know-what, and you expect me to trust you with him now?!” 

 

“Excuse me, young lady, but you have no say in this,” Jiraiya growled back. “You’re not his caretaker or his teacher - that role is now mine. I will train him however I see fit-“

 

“Like hell you will!”

 

“Kaiya…” Guy placed a steady hand on her shoulder. “Jiraiya-sama is one of the Sannin-“

 

“I don’t give a damn what he is!” She shook off his hand, eyes wild with rage and desperation. “He can’t just waltz in here and take Naruto away after leaving like that! Sannin, Jonin - he could be the next Hokage for all I care, but he _left him alone!”_

 

“Naruto doesn’t need a babysitter,” Jiraiya told her, crossing his arms. “He needs to learn how to defend himself, not depend on others to do it for him. He’s gonna have people after him his whole life whether he - or you - like it or not. I’m the best one to teach him right now, so he’s coming with me!”

 

“Over my dead-“

 

“Kaiya-nee-chan…” Naruto’s voice cut through her rage, silencing her. He stood, face set in determination, and went to the Sannin’s side. “He’s right, ya know…I’ve already learned stuff from him, stuff I never thought I could do before. I _want_ him to teach me.” 

 

Kaiya stared at him in shock. “But - Naruto-“

 

“Hey, it all worked out, right?” He rubbed the back of his head. “Well, kinda…he did come back, and I’m still here. And he’s right about me needing to learn stuff on my own. So…I’m going with him.”

 

Kaiya’s shoulders fell. How could she argue with that? Naruto wasn’t a little kid anymore, after all. He was a Genin, and Jiraiya was right: He needed to learn to look after himself.

 

Admitting it felt like she was tearing off a piece of herself. She stared down at her hands, just barely functioning as regular limbs again, still incapable of directing chakra…incapable of protecting what she loved…

 

This couldn’t keep happening. She couldn’t keep being this… _helpless._ This was why she’d become a ninja in the first place: to protect those she loved. She couldn’t do that in her state. 

 

So she refused to be in that state any longer.

 

Kaiya stood, calm resolve washing over her. “Then I’m coming, too.”

 

 


	11. Something I Can Do

_Kaiya leaned against the wall outside the gate of the Uchiha compound and tried not to fidget. Her heart fluttered madly in her chest; a whole swarm of butterflies had taken residence in her stomach, trying to escape into her twitchy limbs. She focused on her breathing to keep a calm facade. It was just a question, she reminded herself. Nothing to get worked up over. The worst that could happen would be that he said no, and then she'd have to try someone else._

 

_She didn't want to try someone else, though. Sure, there were plenty of people she could ask, but as soon as Yuuma had suggested she do this, his face had become fixed in her mind as the only possibility._

 

_It had also made her pulse beat madly, but she chalked that up to simple nerves. Why be so nervous, though? They were both ninja - colleagues, comrades even, who shared the same basic goal of protecting Konoha. Of course they should help each other out. That's all this was, too - one Shinobi going to another for training assistance. That was all._

 

_The butterflies had absolutely nothing to do with how her face warmed up every time she thought about him, or how often he had come to her mind since they'd run into each other two weeks ago. She was glad she hadn't confessed any of this to Gorou - he'd have teased her endlessly over having a crush or something, and that definitely wasn't the case!_

 

_Besides…if the rumors about him being in Anbu were true, then he would definitely understand her reasons._

 

_She was pulled from her thoughts when his familiar low ponytail nearly brushed right past her. “Ah - Itachi!”_

 

_She immediately flinched as he turned to face her. She was being too familiar again, wasn't she? But what was she supposed to call him? “San” felt too formal, “kun” made her feel like a schoolgirl…”chan?”_

 

_No. No way was Uchiha Itachi a “chan.”_

 

“ _Oh - Kaiya…” Itachi trailed off as though also unsure of how exactly to address her. He caught her eye and they both let out a sheepish grin._

 

_Kaiya's cheeks were already beginning to burn; he had such a nice smile, soft and subtle, and it warmed his onyx eyes. She had to look aside in order to speak again, or she would forget why she came in the first place._

 

“ _So…” Tucking her hair behind her ear, she shifted her weight from one foot to the other. “I was kinda wondering if I could ask a favor.” Way to ease into it, Kaiya! She glanced up - Itachi said nothing, but seemed to be waiting for her to continue. That was right - he'd never been a big talker, from what she remembered. “Well…so Yuuma-sensei - he's my squad leader - has been working with me on kunai technique, and while I'm pretty good at it basically, he suggested that I find someone who can help me get to the next level…whatever that is…and I remembered that you were always the best at that stuff at the Academy…well, you were the best at everything, but that's beside the point, so - I was wondering if…you'd help me?”_

 

“ _No.”_

 

_The answer was so blunt, so abruptly given, that for a second, Kaiya didn't even recognize it as such. When she did, she felt embarrassed for having asked at all. “Oh…well, yeah, I guess you're super busy…”_

 

“ _It's not that,” Itachi clarified, half-raising a hand as though to keep her from leaving. “You shouldn't have become a ninja at all.”_

 

_Every butterfly in her stomach dropped like a lead weight. “Sorry, what?”_

 

“ _There's no need for you to do this,” Itachi told her. “A Shinobi’s life is filled with hardship and sacrifice. It isn't the right life for someone like you.”_

 

_Crossing her arms, Kaiya leaned back and narrowed her eyes, her jitters replaced by righteous flames. “‘Someone like me?’ And what is that, exactly? A girl? An orphan? Someone without a clan or a kekkei genkai? What does any of that matter when a battle happens?!”_

 

_Itachi looked taken aback, like he hadn't expected her to disagree. Maybe being such a great prodigy, he wasn't used to anyone naysaying him, she thought. Well, he was about to get an earful, because she wasn't about to back down to anyone, especially someone who barely knew a thing about her!_

 

“ _You think I don't know that a Shinobi’s life is hard? That I picked it because I thought it'd be fun or something? I CHOSE to be this because I don't want to just stand by when people I care about are being hurt! Not when there’s something I can do about it!”_

 

_For a second, she saw in her mind's eye the girl she'd killed just two weeks ago - a girl she still dreamed about, whose death she relived every night. She'd asked Yuuma back then if she was truly cut out for this; he hadn't doubted her, though, and she wasn't about to waste whatever it was he saw in her._

 

“ _This is something I can do,” she said to Itachi, meeting his eyes with hard resolve in her own. “I'm not playing at being a Shinobi - I'm doing it so others don't have to. I came to you for help in being the best I can be. If you won't help me, I'll find someone who will - but I will. Not. Stop!”_

 

_Now that she was finished, she stood a little awkwardly, wondering what she was supposed to do next. Itachi simply stared at her with those onyx eyes, utterly inscrutable. She held his gaze despite her limbs twitching to move; was he going to say anything? Should she just leave? Were they drawing attention…?_

 

_Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Itachi let out a small sigh. “My schedule…is difficult to predict at the moment. Is next Tuesday possible?”_

 

_Kaiya blinked, her mouth forming a surprised “oh.” “Uh - yeah…I think so…” Finally realizing that he'd just agreed to train with her - that she'd won - her face burst into a smile and she nearly doubled over in relief. “Thank you, really! You won't regret it, I promise I'm a good student! Oh - I should probably get going, I'm supposed to be meeting my team in a few minutes, and I'm sure you're on your way somewhere - but thank you! See you Tuesday!”_

 

_She had already flickered two blocks away before she slapped her forehead and turned back around. To her surprise, Itachi was still there, leaning against the wall where she'd been. He gave her a small, almost teasing smile when she reappeared._

 

“ _Training ground four,” he supplied, before she could even get the question out._

 

_Kaiya nodded and gave him a thumbs-up. “Right! Got it! See ya then!”_

 

* * *

 

 

_This couldn’t keep happening. She couldn’t keep being this…helpless. This was why she’d become a ninja in the first place: to protect those she loved. She couldn’t do that in her state._

 

_So she refused to be in that state any longer._

 

_She stood, calm resolve washing over her. “Then I’m coming, too.”_

 

For a full second after she made the pronouncement, the three conscious males stared at her with wide eyes. Then Naruto's face lit up in a wide smile. “Really?”

 

Jiraiya looked less thrilled by the idea. “Eh?”

 

“I said,” she repeated, scowling at Jiraiya, “I’m coming too. And before you get all huffy about Naruto not needing a babysitter, know that it isn’t just because I want to make sure you don’t screw up again. Tsunade-hime is supposed to be the best healer in the world, right?” He nodded, still looking skeptical. “Good. I could use the best.”

 

Guy sputtered behind her. “Why not just wait until they-”

 

“Tsunade-hime hasn’t been seen in the village in years,” she interrupted. “Add to that the fact that these two are the only ones being sent to search for her? She must get spooked if she knows people are after her. She doesn’t _want_ to be found. On the off-chance that we find her and she doesn’t want to come back, I’ll at least get her to heal my arms so I can stop being useless and use ninjutsu again!” She took a deep breath to calm herself, looking down at Sasuke's unconscious form. “But she _will_ come back with us. That's not an option.”

 

Jiraiya closed his mouth, which had been hanging open since her announcement. “Wait, wait - You can’t use ninjutsu, so how-”

“I’m in an intel and recon team,” she sighed, rolling her eyes. “I can help find her. Don’t worry, I’ll pull my weight just fine without ninjutsu.”

 

“So you’re really comin’ with us?” Naruto jumped up and pumped his fist in the air. “That’s awesome, ya know! Hey, hey, this is, like, our first mission ever together!”

 

Jiraiya held up his hands in protest. “Wait - this is - are you even-”

 

“Prepared for travel?” Kaiya opened her belt pack and pulled out just one of the many small scrolls inside. “Always am. Got everything I’ll need stored in these, and don’t even need a hand sign to use them.” At the three males’ astonished expressions, she sighed. “What? I knew I couldn’t use ninjutsu yet, so I made some modifications to the formulas. Close your mouths, already!”

 

Guy did so, surprising her by giving her a grin and a thumbs-up. “Far be it from me to discourage such youthful determination! I’m perfectly able to take Sasuke back myself.”

 

As he turned to leave with Sasuke hoisted carefully in his arms, Kaiya hesitated, then darted after him. “Guy-sensei - wait…” He did, and for once, he didn’t completely clam up when she came toward him. “My teammates…they might wonder where I’ve gone. Could you…”

 

He nodded. “I’ll tell Gorou.”

 

“Thank you,” she said, tucking her hair behind her ear. It fell right back by her cheek. “And…keep an eye on them, would you? Sasuke, I mean. And…and Kakashi.”

 

His bushy brows rose a fraction, then settled as he gave her a sparkling smile and another thumbs-up. “You can count on it! Not a day will go by that I don’t check in on them personally!”

 

His enthusiasm made her smile. “Thanks, Guy-sensei.”

 

She walked back toward Jiraiya and Naruto, part of her wondering if she was doing the right thing by joining this journey. Should she instead go back to Konoha, keep an eye on Sasuke and Kakashi herself? Would she really be able to help on this trip at all? But seeing Naruto’s excitement - and perhaps also Jiraiya’s doubt - helped kindle her determination. Yes. This was what she could do right now.

 

“Well?” she asked with a sidelong glance at the Sannin as she passed by him. “Are we going or not?”

 

Faced with one enthusiastic blond and one stubborn, snippy redhead, Jiraiya sighed, his shoulders sagging in defeat. “Fine…never signed up for this, though…”

 

* * *

 

The first town they stopped in was a small but lively village in the midst of an early autumn festival. Streamers and unlit lanterns lined the midday streets; crowds of people dressed in colorful yukatas and casual clothes bustled about, half-shouting to be heard over the din.

 

“This looks like a good place to start,” Jiraiya announced as they entered the town's main gate.

 

“Isn't it a little close to Konoha, though?” Kaiya remarked, glancing around and taking in the types of businesses she saw. “I'd think if she'd rather not be found, she'd stay further away, maybe stick to other countries or border towns.”

 

Jiraiya smirked. “Maybe, but she’s the type who'll use jutsu to alter her appearance to give moneylenders the slip. It's perfectly possible for her to get near Konoha without being recognized. Besides, we're not  _that_ close.”

 

Kaiya couldn't argue with him, so she shifted her focus. Giving moneylenders the slip…she could think of at least one reason someone would want to do that often. “She's a pretty heavy gambler, then?”

 

“Pretty much an addict,” he confirmed with a grin. “Which is how we're gonna find her! See, she's got the worst luck in the world - constantly loses, even has a nickname for it: ‘the Legendary Sucker.’”

 

Kaiya gave a disapproving frown. “So she gambles, loses, and then - what? Skips town so she doesn't have to pay up? You sure she’s the one we want?”

 

“Absolutely.”

 

A murderous snake, an old pervert, and a delinquent gambler… _these_ were the Legendary Sannin? She was almost afraid to ask her next question. “What else do we know about her?” 

 

“Heavy drinker,” Jiraiya supplied.

 

Kaiya gaped at him. This was the person they expected to heal Sasuke and Kakashi? Who she was depending on to restore her arms and save her career as a ninja? “Seriously? We’re looking for a drunken gambling addict? I thought medical ninjutsu was about control - sounds like she doesn’t have any!”

 

Jiraiya slowed to a stop and narrowed his eyes. “I’m gonna let that slide since you’ve never met her. But you shouldn’t be so quick to judge a person, especially one you don’t know.”

 

Kaiya’s jaw hung open.  _She_ was being judgmental? “Says the guy who automatically assumed that because I can’t use ninjutsu at the moment, I’m useless on a mission! And all that after you  _left the person you were charged with protecting_ because you were thinking with your dick!” 

 

“Still on about that?”

 

“What, did the facts change? Were you actually there all along while he was about to be kidnapped?” She spun around and started dragging a bewildered Naruto away. “C’mon, let’s leave the _master_ to his work. I’m sure he’s got plenty of ‘high-class’ ladies to spend on.” 

 

Naruto half-jogged to keep up with her, his head whipping back and forth between the Sannin and the redhead with wide eyes. “Why’re you so mad at him all the time?”

 

Kaiya sighed and slowed down once they lost sight of the old man. “The guy’s an irresponsible pervert. Hardly a good influence.”

 

Naruto stuffed his hands in his pockets and shrugged. “Well…yeah…but he taught me some cool stuff, ya know!”

 

Kaiya wanted to simultaneously hug him and tell him to never change, and slap her forehead at his naivete. “Look…I know you like him, but he’s not exactly a good person. He’s a sexist womanizer who left you to be almost kidnapped…or worse.”

 

“I don’t think he’s all bad, though,” Naruto argued, eyes trained on the path in front of them. “I mean…he didn’t _have_ to train me, ya know…well, I guess I kinda nagged him into it, but still!” 

 

Her heart threatened to break. This wasn’t the first time Naruto had endeavored to only see the good in someone who didn’t deserve it, and she feared this would wind up being like other times. He’d get attached, and then something would happen - the person would turn out to be playing a cruel joke, or would simply leave without warning. Either way, the result would be the same: Naruto would be heartbroken.

 

“Naruto…just…” She hesitated when his wide blue eyes gazed up at her, so big and innocent, so trusting. She hated having to tell him this, hated having to dampen his spirit with doubt, but she didn’t want to see him get hurt. Again. “Don’t go getting too attached to Jiraiya, okay? I don’t trust him. Let him teach you, if you can get something good out of it…but that’s all.”

 

There it was - the blue eyes dropped to the ground, the small shoulders sagged…and she hated herself for being the cause. No, she reminded herself: she was protecting him. Still, she had to do something to brighten his mood, so she knelt down and gave him a gentle smile. “Hey…sorry I’ve been such a downer today. Let’s go have some fun, ‘kay?”

 

A smile spread across his face as quick as a sunbeam, and within a second, he was all wide grins and energy. “Mm! Mm!”

 

At a sudden burst of inspiration, she held him back from dashing straight to the stands. “Actually - let’s do this right. Take off your hitai-ate and packs.”

 

“Huh? Why?”

 

“We’re gonna be completely normal today,” she told him. “Trust me - people act differently when they don’t know you’re a Shinobi. It’ll be more fun this way!”

 

“Well, I don’t get it, but if you say so…” He took off his hitai-ate and packs and let her store them in a small scroll with her own.

 

She made sure he still had a few weapons concealed in his outfit, then ruffled his hair to hide the dent from his now-missing headband. “There we go - ready!”

 

He grinned and turned to run to the stands. “C’mon, I saw a guy selling takoyaki! Last one there’s buying!”

 

She gave him a head start, watching him run off into the crowd before following close behind.

 

* * *

 

The festival was a welcome distraction for Naruto. It wasn't just the street food and the games; for once, he got to be a regular kid. Here, no one knew him as the trouble-making demon child. No one turned him away or looked at him with suspicion and fear. On the contrary: vendors were easily taken in by his guileless charm, earning him more than a few free snacks and game turns.

 

Seeing him have so much fun, it was hard to believe that he’d nearly been abducted by S-class criminals just a day ago. He laughed easily and got so caught up in the festivities that when night fell, he moaned that it felt like no time had passed at all. They bought take-out for dinner, Naruto insisting that they should bring a portion for Jiraiya as well - after all, he’d been hard at work that day gathering intel.

 

When they got to their room at the inn, they found Jiraiya passed out on his futon, the stench of alcohol wafting from his sprawled form.

 

“Intel-gathering, huh?” Kaiya muttered, scowling down at him. Naruto looked livid and ready to pounce on the man, but Kaiya pulled him back. “Let’s go eat at that bridge, hm? Less smelly.”

 

That night, Kaiya tossed and turned on her own futon, finding sleep difficult. It wasn’t just Jiraiya’s snoring that kept her awake; now that there was nothing to distract her, her nerves felt like they were on fire. Every small noise from outside their room made her hand shoot to the kunai under her pillow. After what seemed like hours, exhaustion finally set in and she drifted off…

 

“ _Kaiya **…”**_

 

_The compound was dark - darker than it should have been. Goosebumps ran up and down her arms; it took her several minutes to realize just why there was no light on this cloudy night. No lanterns were lit, no house lamps illuminated the windows, no street lights…even at this time of night, there should have been SOMETHING._

 

“ _Kaiya…”_

 

_Her pulse began to race, though she wasn’t sure why. Maybe it was always like this in the compound at night. Then she heard a scream. Her heart pounded as she ran through the streets blindly, dread joining with panic in her stomach, heavy and nauseating. She knew that voice._

 

_Rounding a corner, she skidded to a stop._

 

“ _Kaiya-nee-chan!”_

 

“ _Naruto?!”_

 

_He was reaching out to her, his eyes wide with fear as a dark figure scooped him up. A figure in a black cloak with swirling red clouds…She tried to move, tried to go after them, but she was frozen in place! She kept screaming after them, calling out to Naruto - and then the figure turned his head toward her._

 

_Red eyes, dotted with tomoe, stared back at her, full of…nothing. Not even malice. Just…emptiness. Void._

 

“ _We will have him,” promised his low, velvety voice. He turned back around and vanished into the night, Naruto trapped in his hold._

 

“ _NO!”_

 

Kaiya awoke with a gasp, her chest heaving as she tried to gulp air into her lungs. Once her eyes adjusted to the dark room around her, she sought Naruto’s form, nearly collapsing in relief when she saw him sound asleep a few feet away.

 

He was here. He was safe.

 

Kaiya fell back on her futon with a hand on her forehead, feeling ridiculous even as relief seeped into her bones. Was she going to let the off-chance of Itachi coming back for Naruto drive her insane?

 

Apparently so.

 

It had been five years now…five years since she’d seen more dead bodies in the space of a few minutes than she had in the rest of her Shinobi career, five years since she witnessed just what  _he_ was capable of. 

 

She thought she knew him - knew the Itachi that the world didn’t get to see, the true Itachi beneath the stoic facade. She thought that she was somehow special to him, though even back then the idea seemed ludicrous. What could he, the genius heir of one of the founding clans of Konoha, see in  _her_ ? But that’s how it felt anytime they were together - like she was the center of his world in those moments, like she wasn’t just another no-name Genin wannabe but someone to be cherished. With a touch, he made her melt; with a look, she’d forget everything around them. In her young mind, she believed he cared about her, that he was risking his reputation and standing within his own clan by being with her…that perhaps something more would come of it someday. 

 

How blind had she been? How stupid to think that he ever cared for her? He showed her a little affection, and she lapped it right up like a starved stray! Hell, even now, knowing what he was, knowing what he was capable of…even now, his scent, his voice, his very  _presence_ had rendered her weak, caught between being frozen in fear and wanting to lean into his touch. Her neck tingled where his fingers had brushed against her skin; she reached up and touched the spot, then began to furiously scratch at it. 

 

How disgusting could she be? He was after Naruto. He put Kakashi and Sasuke in comas. He killed Yuuma!

 

Rising from her futon, she found herself searching for an escape route - a window, the door, anything - but she didn’t want to leave Naruto. He was too vulnerable here. Someone had to keep an eye on him - and where the hell was that Pervy Sage now?! His bed was unmade, but he was no where to be seen! Had he left again?!

 

A floorboard creaked in the hallway. Within a breath Kaiya was standing just to the side of the sliding door, kunai in hand. Her heart pounded as it slowly opened. Before the hulking figure on the other side could step in, she had the knife to his throat.

 

It was just Jiraiya.

 

“Whoa, there,” he whispered, holding up his hands defensively as she backed off. “Just came from the toilet. Calm down.”

 

Kaiya lowered the kunai and scowled, annoyed with him, but also with herself. Of course it was just Jiraiya. The clues were all there - and now that she thought about it, she felt utterly ridiculous yet again. Any intruder worth their salt wouldn’t have come in through the main door; she could think of at least five stealthier methods for this room alone. What was wrong with her?

 

Jiraiya frowned and slid the door back open. “C’mon - you look like you could use some fresh air.” Kaiya immediately looked to Naruto, who had barely stirred from their small commotion; Jiraiya just sighed and rolled his eyes. “He'll be fine. I've got security measures in place.”

 

She reluctantly followed him to the roof, opting to lean against the chimney rather than sit. Jiraiya slumped near the edge of the roof overlooking the inn’s meager garden. “That kid can really sleep, can’t he?”

 

Kaiya crossed her arms over her chest, huddling into herself against the night’s chill breeze. “Takes a lot to wake him.”

 

“Not sure if that’s a good thing or what,” he responded. “You wanna tell me why you're so jumpy, though?”

 

Kaiya gaped at him for a second. “Seriously? Did you already forget what happened?”

 

“Hardly,” Jiraiya retorted. “But look - Akatsuki won't come for him again so soon. Not while I'm here.”

 

Kaiya was about to make a scathing remark about his track record for being present, but what he said before caught her attention.  _Akatsuki…_ that was the name Itachi had used. “Who are they? What do they want?” 

 

“Well, you're involved in this now, so I guess you should know,” Jiraiya said with a sigh. “Akatsuki is a group of mercenaries, all of them S-class criminals. As to why they're after Naruto…I assume you know what's inside of him?”

 

Kaiya nodded. “Yeah…I do.”

 

Jiraiya gazed out over the darkened town. “What he carries…there are a lot of people who’d do just about anything for its power. Akatsuki’s just one group; he’ll probably have people after him his whole life because of that thing.”

 

So not just Itachi, but a whole group of criminals of his caliber were after Naruto. Her first instinct was to take him - and Sasuke, while she was at it - and find somewhere to hide them, somewhere none of these maniacs could ever find them. But that was unrealistic. Besides, neither of them were the sort to run and hide when things got tough; if anything, the encounter with Itachi had proved that to her. What could she do, then?

 

Glancing at Jiraiya, Kaiya decided that while she might not like him, right now, he was the best source she had. “I need to know more about them.”

 

“Why, so you can go after them alone again?”

 

She glared at him, cheeks hot. “At least I tried!”

 

“It was a stupid move,” he growled back. “Even if you weren't injured, you don't know what those two are capable of.”

 

“I know what _he's_ capable of,” she hissed, but there was no other argument she could offer. He was right. Going after Itachi alone had been idiotic on her part. She'd had no plan, no backup…the fact that she was still alive was a confounding miracle. 

 

Why  _did_ she go after him? What did she expect would happen? That he'd answer all of her questions? That he'd tell her it had all been a mistake? 

 

She stared down at the raw, exposed skin of her bare arms. She was pathetic. Crippled, clearly incapable of rational thought when it mattered…

 

Jiraiya considered her with a critical eye for a moment before turning back around. “There's not much more to know about Akatsuki at the moment. They're shut tight; I got a lead on them being based in Kirigakure, but there's a civil war going on there right now which makes it impossible to follow up on.”

 

Kaiya perked back up, grateful for the distraction from her own self-pity. “Civil war? I haven't heard anything about that…”

 

“You wouldn't have,” he said. “Even with all the chaos, Kiri is working hard to make sure other countries don't get wind. It'd be an invitation for invasion.”

 

Kaiya was dying to ask how he knew all of this - how he seemed to know so much when as far as she could tell, he spent most of his time drinking and chasing women - but she shook her head sharply. She wasn't here to learn about a civil war in another country. “So…not much is known about Akatsuki.”

 

“Nope,” he quipped. “Not about its current members, anyway. Orochimaru was in that organization for a while, though it seems he left about five years ago or so.”

 

Orochimaru? “Would he know more about them?”

 

“Don't even think about it,” he warned, side-eyeing her. “If anyone's gonna try tracking him down for any reason, it's me.”

 

She wanted to argue. Orochimaru was connected to all of this - Sasuke's curse mark, Naruto being targeted…and she had a distinct wish to see him eradicated from the earth. But then, she reminded herself bitterly, what could she do about it?

 

“Now, it's possible that Akatsuki was hired by someone else to take Naruto,” Jiraiya continued, bringing her back to the present once again. “From what I've been able to gather about them, they've only been taking jobs from others.”

 

Kaiya shook her head. “No. Remember what Itachi said? ‘Naruto is the prize  _Akatsuki_ is after.’” She rubbed her arms as goosebumps rose along her skin. 

 

Jiraiya hummed in approval. “So you caught that, too. Tell me…did Itachi say anything else when you went after him? Cuz something tells me you weren't after Hoshigaki Kisame.”

 

Kaiya hesitated. “I asked him why he was after Naruto. He said…it was his mission. That's all.”

 

“Damn,” he hissed. “I was really hoping he let something else slip…”

 

Kaiya's brow twitched in confusion. “Something else? What do you mean?”

 

“Doesn't it seem odd to you that he would admit not only his organization’s name, but their goal as well, especially to those protecting his target?”

 

Kaiya's brows shot up. He had a point - Itachi was far too smart to volunteer such information by accident. “Maybe…Akatsuki wants to be known. Or he saw no reason to hide the information.”

 

“Hm…perhaps,” Jiraiya muttered. He glanced back at her. “You're around his age, right? Anything you can tell me about him that might shed light on this?”

 

Kaiya tensed. “No…I really didn't know him at all.”

 

* * *

 

The next day, Naruto got to enjoy the festival again after Jiraiya gave an excuse about following up on a lead. He had fun, but Kaiya could tell he was less enthusiastic. He spent less money and played only a few games, though he still ate enough fair food to feed a small platoon.

 

On their third day going to the festival, he was starting to share Kaiya's opinion about his dubious new teacher.

 

“What the heck?” he complained as they walked past the vendor stands for the third day in a row. “He's the one who wanted me to come along, said he had some great new jutsu to show me an’ all, and then he just leaves! An’ he was drunk _again_ last night! What's up with that, huh?!”

 

Kaiya didn't want to say “I told you so,” but she did warn him. “Come on - I bet I know where we can find him.”

 

Three days wandering this small town had given her plenty of insight into the community. Among the permanent establishments were a few shops, a food market, a pub, a laundry place - basic and just enough for the town to be self-sufficient. What she didn't see were any casinos or pachinko shops; a single club was all that served as entertainment for the adults, and she had the feeling that when there wasn't a festival in town, it probably did meager business at best.

 

No casinos, no pachinko shops…no  _legal_ gambling establishments. Gambling was strictly regulated in the Land of Fire, at least on paper; casinos were approved by the Daimyo and served double-duty as both game houses and brokers for high-end trading deals. They kept detailed records on all transactions, which helped settle disputes that might come up during business deals, and thanks to a deal with the Daimyo, they exclusively hired Konoha Shinobi to protect their wares. 

 

However, their services and higher-stakes games were expensive, as was the licensing process to become approved; a small town like this would not be able to afford one, and the population was too small to make it a worthy investment. Yet they seemed okay holding a lively festival like this one, bringing in vendors from the outside which subsequently drew more traffic to the town. A highly-trafficked event where it was perfectly expected to see many unfamiliar faces…it was the perfect cover for the less-than-legal games she expected Tsunade frequented.

 

If Tsunade was a gambling addict who didn't want to be found, it was highly unlikely she'd go to Daimyo-approved casinos often; she'd have left a paper trail, which wasn't conducive to staying hidden. Besides, there was probably an extra thrill to playing in illegal games that fed into her addiction.

 

If they were going to find Tsunade, they'd have to find a trail of illegal games - which must have been why Jiraiya saw opportunity in this town.

 

They found him exactly where she suspected: already two sake bottles in at the local club, each of his arms slung around women wearing revealing clothing. Prostitution was also technically illegal, but playing “Hostess” to paying customers was not. Kaiya could almost see what he was doing here - these women probably had some knowledge of the underground scene in town - but to her, it looked like he was enjoying their company more than their knowledge.

 

Typical.

 

Jiraiya perked up when he saw the blond and the redhead enter. “Hey, if it isn't my cute niece and nephew!”

 

Naruto opened his mouth to ask what the heck he was talking about, but even though Kaiya was inwardly twitching at the suggestion that they were related to this man, she cut him off, recognizing a cover when she heard one. “See? Told you we'd find him here. I swear,  _every_ town we go to-”

 

“Aw, don't be like that,” Jiraiya pouted. “You're a pretty young woman - ladies, don't you think my niece is pretty?” The women on either side of him nodded and smiled. “You sh’be more like these lovely ladies here. Smile sometimes!”

 

It took every ounce of self-control, built over years of having to deal with obnoxious clients, to hold her tongue and not throttle him on the spot. Be more like these - she was a  _kunoichi_ , not some damn club girl! 

 

Naruto did not have such self-control. “Yeah, well  _you_ should be a better influence, ya know! You said you were gonna work, but here you are just - just -”

 

In his agitation, he jumped up on the table, making the plethora of sake bottles rattle. “I've had it up to here with you, Pervy Sage! You said you'd train me, but all you've done so far is-”

 

He slipped on some spilled sake and started falling back. Kaiya, who had been mildly enjoying the show, darted forward to catch him before he fell off the table entirely; Naruto's foot caught a small container of soy sauce and launched it backwards. The sound of it splattering on something reached their ears.

 

“Hey! Ya damn brat!”

 

Two surly men stood just at the entrance to the club, one with poofy hair in an ill-fitting white suit, the other bald in a mismatched suit of grey. Kaiya rarely saw legitimate businessmen in such attire, and certainly not in small towns like this. If she had to guess, she'd say they were gangsters. The two men completely ignored her, instead glaring down at Naruto.

 

“Little street rat!” yelled the bald one. “You just ruined the boss’s designer suit! You better fork over a hundred-thousand right now, or you're gonna pay with your limbs!”

 

Definitely gangsters.

 

Naruto blanched. “A - a hundred - you mean for  _that_ thing?!”

 

“C’mon, fellas,” Jiraiya said, the slur suddenly gone from his voice. “That seems a little high for that monkey suit.”

 

The mouthpiece-man sputtered in rage. “You tryin’ to pick a fight, old man?! I'll have you know that the boss here used to be a Chunin from Iwagakure, the legendary Dark Ninja! Ya don't wanna mess with him!”

 

A  _former_ Iwa Chunin, and one with such a glaringly generic nickname…visiting a small, inconsequential town that probably had an underground gambling scene…Kaiya could guess what they were here for. Sensing an opportunity, she stepped between the two parties with a sweet smile. 

 

“Please forgive my uncle and brother,” she simpered, using a higher-than-normal pitch in her voice. “I'm afraid my uncle has had too much to drink and doesn't know what he's saying. He is such an idiot when he gets like this!” She let out a small, tittering laugh, waving her hand dismissively.

 

Behind her, Jiraiya and Naruto stared at her in disbelief; the two men didn't notice them, their eyes roving over Kaiya's figure in a way that made her want to punch them both. The ‘Boss’ arched a brow, his lips twisting upward, and sidled up to Kaiya with the subtlety of a bowling ball.

 

“Well, if _you_ say so, little lady,” he smirked, sliding an arm around her shoulders. “I'm sure we can work something out. Why don't you let us take ya somewhere nice an’ private so we can…negotiate?”

 

“Now hold on a second,” Jiraiya called, standing from the couch. “What do you think you’re-”

 

“Sounds like fun!” Kaiya exclaimed. “I was getting tired of babysitting that old man, anyway.” She glanced back at Naruto and winked. “Keep him outta trouble for a few hours, ‘kay?”

 

“Why?” Naruto scratched his head. “What’re you-”

 

“Eh, let the adults do the talking, brat,” snapped the bald man, though he too now sported a lurid grin as they guided Kaiya out of the club.

 

Kaiya could hear Naruto sputtering to Jiraiya as they left, wondering just what she was up to, and resisted the urge to break the fingers of the hand on the small of her back.  _Not yet._

 

“So you’re from Iwagakure?” she asked the white-suited man. “I’ve always wanted to see other countries! I’ve been to a few towns, though it’s my first time in this one…what brings you here? The festival?”

 

“Somethin’ like that.”

 

“I was kind of bored with it, honestly,” she laughed. “It’s all food and kids’ games, and I was stuck watching my brother all day while our uncle got to see the good stuff!” She gave a beleaguered sigh. “I was hoping there’d at least be some games he’d take me to, but even that’s boring, usually…he says I’m his ‘good luck charm,’ but all I do is stand there while he gets to actually play!”

 

The white-clad boss’s steps slowed, his head tilted in interest. “Good luck charm, you say?”

 

“Yeah,” she shrugged. “I don’t know much about it, but I guess it’s true. I didn’t go with him to his last one, and he wound up losing a lot of money!” Her hand dashed to her mouth and she glanced at the two men wide-eyed. “Oh, I probably shouldn’t have said that! But that’s why I really appreciate you giving me the chance to pay for the suit, you know? Until he wins again, we could never afford something like that!”

 

The boss and his henchman exchanged a weighted glance. She knew what they were both debating: should they just take advantage of the naive, willing girl for some pleasure now, or use her for more material gain? She also knew what they would choose; they were gamblers.

 

Predictable.

 

“Well…” The boss dragged his hand up her back to her shoulder as he came around to face her, leaning down so that they were eye to eye. “Tell ya what: If you can bring me some o’that luck tonight, I might just be able to forgive that debt. Might even come to an arrangement that’d be beneficial to all parties involved. Of course, if that luck don't hold, we’ll still have to…negotiate.”

 

“Really?” Kaiya’s face lit up and she took his hand in both of hers. “Oh, thank you, thank you! I’ll do what I can!”

 

“I’m sure ya will,” he drawled with a lurid grin, his eyes once again traveling down her body in a way that made her skin crawl. “The game’s in a few hours; why don’t you entertain us ‘til then? Should be able to work down some o’ the debt while you're at it…”

 

Eyes wide, Kaiya suddenly straightened. “Wait - what time, exactly?” When they told her, she buried her face in her hands. “Oh, no! I have to get started right away, or it won't work!”

 

“Eh?”

 

Kaiya lowered her hands and worried her bottom lip. “Well…the thing is…there’s, like, this whole ritual I usually go through before a game…”

 

* * *

 

When Kaiya returned to the inn, Jiraiya greeted her with a frown and crossed arms. Kaiya glanced around the room. “Where’s Naruto?”

 

“Baths,” Jiraiya answered shortly. “And what the hell did you think you were doing back there? I had the situation under control!”

 

Kaiya rolled her eyes. “What were you going to do? ‘Cause they’d only be satisfied with money or getting to throw their weight around some more. A fight would’ve started. A scene would’ve been caused. And for what?”

 

“Seems you have a habit of inviting trouble that you can’t handle,” he growled. “Remember, you can’t use ninjutsu right now. I seriously doubt that whole bullshit about that guy being some great Shinobi, but they outnumbered you-”

 

“I can handle myself,” she snapped, pulling out one of her storage scrolls. “I’ve done this before. Besides, to them, I'm not even a kunoichi - just some gullible piece of ass. Trust me, they weren't about to fight me, and I have them convinced that me being ‘pure’ is to their advantage.”

 

Jiraiya opened his mouth, then closed it, confused. “Wait - what?”

 

“They think I’m your ‘good luck charm’ for gambling,” she said with a smirk, biting her thumb and pressing it to the storage seal. Out poofed an array of civilian clothing. “But I told them that it only works if I go through a whole routine involving a bath, meditation, drinking special tea…and that it only works for virgins. Anyway, I now have an ‘in’ to the local gambling scene.”

 

Jiraiya gaped at her for a full five seconds before shutting his mouth. “No.”

 

“Excuse me?”

 

“You’re not going.”

 

Kaiya stopped sorting through her clothes and glared at him. “Um, yes, I am. It’s a lead.”

 

“It’s too dangerous!”

 

She scoffed. “Since when do you care?”

 

The glare he gave her probably would have made another person shrink back, but she met it evenly with her own. “Look, I get that you don’t like me. I get that you don’t trust me. But I do have more experience at this stuff, and you have to face the reality that while you may have done this before, it wasn’t when you were essentially crippled!”

 

“They’re expecting me to be there,” she argued. “They’re more likely to talk openly around me than you. I’m just a ornament to them,” she finished, tone bitter. “Besides, you’re the one who said I should smile more. I did, and this is what we got from it.”

 

“That's not…” Jiraiya rubbed his forehead, eyes pinched shut. “Okay. Fine. But you're not going alone. You got a summons or something?”

 

“No,” she answered in a testy voice. “Besides, even if I did, you kinda need to be able to _use_ chakra for that, remember?”

 

He flinched. “Then I'll send a toad with you. Small one. It'll stay hidden in your clothes, and if you get yourself in a pinch, it'll come get me immediately.”

 

Kaiya's jaw tensed, but she didn't argue against the idea. Although she was loathe to admit it, it was a good one. One rule of intel that Yuuma had instilled in her was to never go undercover without backup and an extraction plan. Still, as though somehow compelled to turn every conversation with Jiraiya into a fight, she bit out, “Why didn't you show this much concern for Naruto before?”

 

“What makes you think I didn't?”

 

Her eyes shot to his.

 

“Naruto doesn't know this,” Jiraiya explained, “But I keep a toad near him at all times - there's one with him right now at the bathhouse, and there was one with him at the inn the day Akatsuki came for him. It's how I knew what was happening and how I was able to get there in just the nick of time.”

 

Shame threatened to eat at Kaiya's stomach. So he wasn't as neglectful as she had assumed… “Why…Why didn't you just say so?”

 

He shrugged. “You seemed pretty set in your ideas.”

 

Heat flooded her cheeks. Had she really been so quick to judge him? What did that say about her? “…sorry for giving you such a hard time.”

 

He shrugged. “Can't say I didn't deserve some of it. That was a mean left hook, though.”

 

She couldn't help a small smirk.

 

* * *

 

The game was held in the chilly cellar of the local pub. A table had been set up among the dusty shelves of containers, some of which looked like they hadn't been opened in years. A ceiling light lit the space with a dim, yellow glow, highlighting the dust particles that floated through the air; upon entering, Kaiya held back a sneeze. The boss, still clad in his white suit (though the stain had been poorly scrubbed out), wrinkled his nose.

 

The host, an older man missing one of his front teeth, bowed in apology. “Used to do this in the back hall, but the Daimyo’s been crackin’ down on games more this past year…”

 

Kaiya smoothed her simple, short white skirt and took her place near a dark corner, keeping out of the way but staying within sight of the boss as he took his seat. It didn't surprise her to hear that the Daimyo had been cracking down on illegal gambling; it happened periodically as a way to keep these games from become serious competition. Konoha Shinobi were usually called upon to track down these illegal games, though they only did so when explicitly hired for that purpose. Games like this were preferred by Shinobi both for being a valuable information source for the criminal underworld, and for leaving less of a paper trail. When ninja gambled seriously, they didn't want to be trackable.

 

As the others players arrived, Kaiya identified another Shinobi of unknown origin as well as a couple of gangsters. One of them sneered in Kaiya's direction. “Who's the chick?”

 

“That one's mine,” announced the Boss with a proud smirk, beckoning Kaiya over. When she was within arm's reach, he yanked her into his lap. “Cute, ain't she? Hey sweetie, take off that jacket, show the boys what you got!”

 

Inside, she was seething. Within a second, she had imagined breaking his fingers, knocking out several teeth, and kicking him repeatedly in the groin. If they knew she was a kunoichi, they wouldn't dare treat her this way.

 

But if they knew she was a kunoichi, they wouldn't be so lax around her, either.

 

On the outside, she just squirmed and let out a nervous giggle. “It's so chilly in here, though…”

 

“Aw, I'll keep ya warm, sweetie!” offered one of the other gangsters.

 

“Eh, get yer own,” the Boss retorted. In a lower voice spoken directly into her ear, he told her, “Don't you forget why you're here. Take off the damn jacket!”

 

Kaiya had a reason for wanting to keep the jacket on, of course. In one of the inner pockets was a tiny frog no bigger than her thumb; she felt safer knowing that the little amphibian, who'd announced herself as “Peach” when summoned, was with her. The Boss shifted her off his lap, yanking down the shoulders of the jacket as she got up, then tossing the garment to the pub’s owner, who scrambled to catch it.

 

The other players leered and jeered at her on her short trip back to the corner, but once there, she heard a squeaky voice in her ear. “Don’tcha worry, Kaiya-chan! I gave ‘em the slip easy!”

 

It was Peach. She must have slipped out of her jacket and hidden behind her hair without even Kaiya noticing. Marginally relieved, she settled back as the game finally commenced, drawing the players’ attention to their cards rather than to her.

 

She was glad she was a kunoichi. Even without these assholes knowing, she at least rested with the knowledge that if need be, she could more than defend herself. She couldn’t imagine being a civilian woman in this situation without that confidence and skill. What would her life have been had she not gone to the Academy? Granted, Konoha’s civilian culture was definitely more civil than what was happening in this cellar, but she still couldn’t fathom it.

 

The game made the men quiet down, each working to place their bets with straight faces. Her “benefactor” was only marginally better at this than the non-ninja gangsters; the other Shinobi in the room had a stellar poker face. Conversation was minimal at first, which made her wonder if this was even going to be a worthwhile mission. She helped the pub owner deliver drinks to the players, and to his credit, he even politely offered her one. She refused but thanked him for all the same. He, at least, seemed a decent fellow; she wondered how he got caught up with hosting these games.

 

She asked him as much at one juncture when she followed him up to the kitchen to refill the players’ glasses.

 

“Oh,” he said, with a look that said ‘It can’t be helped.’ “Happens with every festival, really.” He leaned in as though to tell her a secret. “The one ninja? Not the one you came with, but the other one? He plays for the local lord, who puts on these festivals just for it. Lots of different people can come and go during a festival, you know.”

 

She nodded in understanding. “So…you just host them out of obligation?”

 

“I’m the only one with a space for it, and the drinks to keep ‘em happy,” he sighed. “It pays well enough, an’ the festivals really liven the place up. We need ‘em - the town doesn't do much business in between.”

 

“How many festivals do you have?”

 

“At least six a year,” he answered, laying four clean cups and a freshly warmed bottle of sake on the tray she held for him. “Enough to keep us goin’!”

 

“And there's a game at every one?” He nodded again. “Wow…you must see a lot of different people here to play, then…”

 

“We get a few colorful characters,” he chuckled.

 

Kaiya giggled. “I'll bet you've never seen this one person, though - my uncle played her once, and it was the best win he ever had! She kept losing, but wouldn't stop betting! Jeez, and she drank enough sake to put down an elephant!”

 

The owner gave her a knowing smile as they started back down the stairs. “Ah…sounds like you met the ‘Legendary Sucker!’”

 

_Finally!_ Kaiya's brows rose in interest. “You've met her, too?”

 

“Saw her once,” he said, pausing on the steps and looking to the ceiling with a brow pinched in memory. “It was…maybe last spring? Yeah, that was it - cherry blossom festival! She was blonde, with huge-” He glanced at Kaiya and seemed to rethink just what he was about to say. “Well, she was memorable, to say the least! Had an assistant, too, and a pet pig of all things!”

 

Kaiya helped him serve the sake, relieved to have gotten something out of this farce. The Boss was not so lucky as she; hand after hand, he either lost or won back just enough to keep playing. By the end of the night, he was clearly leaving with less than he'd come with.

 

When they left, he yanked her along by the wrist, fuming. “‘Good luck charm,’ eh? Stupid bitch, you cost me more’n two missions’ worth!”

 

Kaiya didn't bother answering, keeping an eye on her surroundings for a good place to break away. She wanted somewhere quiet, secluded but not closed in… Normally, if she got into a situation like this on a mission with her team, she'd lure the target to a predetermined spot where Hikaru and Gorou would be able to back her up. Here, though, she was essentially on her own.

 

Then she felt the cool, webbed toes of Peach cling to the shell of her ear. “I’ma get Jiraiya-san now-”

 

“Wait!” Her command was directed both at Peach and at the man dragging her through the streets. Even if Peach got Jiraiya, they'd need to know where to find her. The Boss turned and sneered at her, so she batted her eyelashes and put on a sorrowful expression. “I'm sorry, I don't know why it didn't work this time! I promise I'll pay you back somehow-”

 

“Damn right you will,” he growled.

 

“Please,” she pleaded, tugging on her arm and looking toward a nearby alleyway. “Let me prove it to you…”

 

He saw where she was looking and a slow grin spread across his angular face. “Eager, are we? Fine by me!”

 

She let him drag her into the dark alley, swinging her in front of him against the wall and reaching immediately for his belt buckle.

 

Within half a second, he was instead clutching a bloody, broken nose. “What the-”

 

Kaiya jumped, grabbing hold of the fire escape above them, and swung both feet into his chest, sending him flying backwards into a pile of trash bags. By the time he started getting his bearings, she had a kunai to his throat - and another poised just above his crotch.

 

“Don't move,” she warned him in a icy tone that made him freeze in place. “Unless you want to stain your suit again.”

 

He stared at her with wide eyes, breathing fast. “Wh-what the hell is goin’ on?!”

 

She could hardly believe that he was really a trained ninja, former or otherwise. The smallest show of strength had him trembling like a coward. Seeing him like this, so helpless beneath her…a sick sense of satisfaction seeped through her bones. This low-life who thought that a little ninja training made him better than others, who thought it was perfectly okay to take advantage of people he saw as weaker…he disgusted her.

 

“Oh, I thought we'd have a little chat,” Kaiya replied in a low, chilly voice, tilting the kunai at his throat just enough to make him flinch back. “About your status as an Iwa Missing-Nin…taking missions in Konoha’s jurisdiction…gambling illegally…oh, and your treatment of women _sucks._ Am I missing anything?” 

 

“No, I think you about covered it,” came Jiraiya’s voice from the back wall of the alley. He sat atop the wall cross-legged, gazing down at the scene with an almost proud grin. “Unless you wanna count ‘bad fashion sense.’”

 

“That was fast,” she commented, eyes trained on the deplorable excuse for a human being beneath her blades.

 

“Yeah, it sounded like an emergency,” he called back. “But clearly, you’ve got things under control.”

 

The man glanced nervously between them. “Wait - you two…you’re ninja?!”

 

“Give the man a prize,” Jiraiya drawled, resting his cheek in his hand.

 

“Doesn’t matter what we are,” Kaiya contested sharply. “There’s a learning moment here, wouldn’t you say?” She gave her blade the lightest bit of pressure so that he felt the cold of the metal against his jugular, but didn’t bleed.

 

The “boss” nodded quickly. “Y-yeah! Definitely! I-I’m learning!”

 

“Learning to respect people, no matter their station?”

 

“Uh-huh!”

 

“To treat women like human beings rather than toys?”

 

“Yeah! Definitely!”

 

Kaiya narrowed her eyes, making him shrink back even further into the trash bags. Without warning, she brought up the kunai from his crotch and slammed it into the bag next to his ear. He flinched hard, whimpering and squeezing his eyes shut as she performed a series of one-handed signs.

 

“P-please,” he begged. “I promise! I’ve learned my lesson! I’ll even give up the games, I swear! I’m straight from here on out! Just please, don’t kill me!”

 

She ignored him and slapped her hand to his abdomen. When a full second passed and the man realized he was still breathing, he tentatively opened an eye. Kaiya withdrew the knife from his throat and stood up.

 

“That’ll let me keep tabs on you - no use looking for it,” she added when he scrambled to lift up his shirt and see what she’d done. “It’s an invisible seal, one that only I can sense. If I ever sense you in the Land of Fire again…if I ever find you anywhere in the world up to your old tricks - and believe me, I’ll know…” She let her lips twist into a cruel smile. “Well, the best dry cleaner in the world won’t be able to help you with the blood stains.”

 

For a few seconds, the man didn’t move a muscle. Above them, Jiraiya rolled his eyes. “That’s your cue to get the hell outta here.”

 

That was all the permission he needed. The man tripped over himself dashing out of the alleyway.

 

Once he was gone, Kaiya slipped her kunai back into their hiding spots and ran her hands through her hair with a grimace. “I need a shower.”

 

“That was a nice performance you put on there,” Jiraiya appraised, hopping down to the ground with a grunt. “Had me convinced that you were gonna castrate him. Wasn’t sure if I’d have to step in.”

 

She shot him an evil grin. “Who says it was a performance?” When he just cocked a brow at her, clearly unimpressed, she shook her head and shuddered. “I wouldn’t have castrated him. Gross. Just wanted to scare some sense into him, that’s all.”

 

“The one-handed signs were a nice touch,” he added, joining her on the walk out of the alley. “Where’d you learn those?”

 

“Broke my wrist a few years back,” she answered vaguely. “Didn’t want to be useless without ninjutsu.”

 

“I think you’ve proved that you aren’t,” Jiraiya said, giving her a pointed look. “Got it all outta your system, then?”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“You’ve been on edge since that day at the inn,” Jiraiya clarified. “Honestly, I’d say you were looking for a fight you could win.”

 

Her cheeks suddenly felt hot and she looked away. Was he right? She couldn’t deny that having that idiot at her mercy felt… _good._ She’d wanted to make him fear her, make him regret every leer, every grope, every lurid thought he’d had - not just about her, but about any woman with the misfortune of crossing his path. 

 

In her own, small way, she’d wanted  _vengeance_ \- the very thing she told Sasuke not to seek, and the thing that Yuuma had taught her to reject so long ago _._

 

“I get it,” he added, to her surprise. “From the sound of it, things haven’t been going your way lately. It’s perfectly natural to seek some sort of control…just don’t get carried away with it.”

 

For a second, Kaiya felt a sense of aching familiarity from his words. For a brief, fleeting moment, she felt like…

 

Like she was with Yuuma again.

 

The thought made her stop in her tracks as a wave of grief and shame washed over her. Had she really misjudged Jiraiya so much?

 

“And hey,” Jiraiya added, glancing back at her with a crooked grin, “can’t say that guy didn’t deserve it. Hell, you might have me rethinking how I look at the ladies from here on out!”

 

That made a smile twitch across her lips. “I won’t hold my breath.”

 

* * *

 

“ _Aaaarghhh!_ ” 

 

Kabuto could hear the cry of pain from all the way down the hall in his laboratory. Orochimaru's arms had only worsened in the weeks since the failed invasion of Konoha. Medical ninjutsu treatments, salves - none of it made any difference. The limbs were necrotizing, cells dying at an alarming rate; the Sannin could scarcely move them without intense pain, let alone perform ninjutsu.

 

Kabuto took his latest batch of powerful painkillers - the only thing that eased Orochimaru’s discomfort even a little - and headed to his master's private quarters. He was met with the stench of rotting tissue and the sight of a fresh corpse on the floor.

 

“Great,” he muttered. “And I just cleaned this room the other day…”

 

Orochimaru was sitting up in bed, sweating and trembling with fever. On top of whatever the Third Hokage had done, his current body was starting to reject him sooner than expected. Kabuto set the new medicine down and eased his master back under the covers.

 

“Damn you, Sarutobi,” muttered the Sannin in a now familiar refrain. He cursed the old man at least five times a day. “What did you do to me…”

 

It was truly a pitiable sight: Orochimaru, the legendary Snake Sannin, reduced to a shivering wraith of a man. Feverish from pain, a portion of his body all but dead, unable to use even the most basic of ninjutsu on his own - but Kabuto knew the man too well to assume that he was anything but formidable even in this state.

 

The bloody body on the floor was proof of that.

 

“That damn Danzo,” Orochimaru added. “I'm sure he sabotaged it all somehow…we had the numbers, we should have won…”

 

That would not have surprised Kabuto at all; that Orochimaru had trusted that man as much as he had baffled him. Overall, the invasion of Konoha had been a disaster. They had lost the majority of Otogakure’s foot soldiers; Konoha’s Anbu had located one of their main hideouts in the Land of Rice Paddies; and with their humiliating defeat, the Daimyo of that land would no longer support them. Suna had thrown them under the wheel as soon as Konoha offered a new treaty, and last Kabuto had heard, they'd discovered how Orochimaru had killed their Kazekage. They were left with no allies to speak of, and only a network of hideouts to house them.

 

“Here, my lord..” Kabuto prepared a syringe. “I know this isn't your preferred method, but the painkillers will take effect faster this way.”

 

“Just do it!” growled the Sannin. The effect was nearly immediate: his whole upper body sagged in relief, eyes drooping as the soporific effects of the drug took hold. “This one…it makes me too tired…”

 

“It's the most powerful one I can give you,” Kabuto assured him.

 

“And…the cure…?”

 

Kabuto hesitated as he capped the vial. “My lord…we need to consider other possibilities at this point.”

 

“In other words,” hissed Orochimaru, “you are utterly useless as my medic!”

 

Years ago, that jab may have stung and made him scramble to regain the man’s approval. As it was, the insult barely ruffled his proverbial feathers. He knew Orochimaru needed and valued him for reasons beyond his medical expertise.

 

“Well, then…” Orochimaru shifted beneath the sheets, finally lucid now that the bulk of the pain had been subdued. “If that is to be the case…there is someone I need you to track down.”

 

“Yes, my lord?”

 

“A healer who surpasses even you,” he cackled with only a hint of sarcasm in his voice. “And someone I haven't seen in years…oh, what a reunion this will be!”

 

 


	12. Two Sannin Walk Into a Bar...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ll admit that this chapter’s title is the product of an “I don’t give a fuck” mindset. I definitely gave a fuck while writing the chapter itself, though, and wanted to get it on out to you all :D

 

“ _Gather ‘round, gather ‘round,” Yuuma called, waving the trio closer to the table in their hotel room. “Time for another lesson!”_

 

_Gorou groaned. “Can we at least eat while you lecture us, Sensei? I’m starving!”_

 

“ _Go ahead,” Yuuma said. “So: the farmer we spoke to today, the one with the lead on how to locate our target. First of all, good job, Kaiya, on getting him to open up!”_

 

“ _Thanks, Sensei,” she preened, surreptitiously sticking her tongue out to Gorou, who’d wound up chasing a pig around the yard instead._

 

“ _However: How do we know that we can trust his word?”_

 

“ _What do you mean?” asked Hikaru, lowering his chopsticks. “You said we would follow the lead in the morning, so it must be legitimate.”_

 

“ _I know what I said,” Yuuma conceded. “ **I** know the intel is good - but **how** do I know that?” _

 

_The trio stared at him, then at each other, dumbfounded. He knew because…because he was Yuuma. This is what he did._

 

_Yuuma chuckled at their expressions and shook his bald head. “Ask yourselves: What does the farmer get out of this, really? How does he, personally, benefit from selling out his own neighbor, guilty or not? He could have just as easily given us a false lead to protect the man - so what does he gain by telling us the truth?”_

 

“ _A reward?” Gorou suggested. “Like…maybe he’ll want a cut of the bounty?”_

 

“ _Retribution,” Kaiya put forth. “Maybe he and his neighbor don’t get along or something.”_

 

“ _Could be,” Yuuma nodded. “Money and vengeance are certainly motivators. What else?”_

 

_All was quiet for a moment, and then Hikaru spoke. “Land. With our target gone, he could petition to take over his land.”_

 

_Yuuma patted him soundly on the back. “Exactly. A cut of a bounty wouldn’t amount to much in the long run; vengeance is fleeting, and he wouldn’t be able to use it as an example to warn off others who’d do the same…but an investment will pay out for years to come. This means we can rely on his word, since he much more to gain from being honest with us than from lying.”_

 

_ He looked around the table at the trio, his warm brown eyes pausing on each of their faces as he continued. “You’re all smart - yes, Gorou, you too - but you were ready to just take my word that the intel was good.  **Never** just assume something based on someone else’s assessment; always do your own. With deals and negotiations, ask yourself what could really be going on in the other person’s head. What do they get out of it? What else would this deal mean, aside from the given terms? You may find that there’s more at stake than you thought, and that could change the deal entirely.”  _

 

_They nodded, soaking in his words._

 

“ _Okay,” he nodded, smiling when he saw that they were all thinking about what he said. “Here endeth the lesson. Let’s eat!”_

 

* * *

 

“It has been over three weeks since Jiraiya promised to bring Tsunade-hime,” Koharu stated, beginning the meeting without further preamble. “And we have had no word from him.”

 

“Intel-gathering takes time,” Shikaku reminded the Elders.

 

“The village does not have the luxury of time,” Danzo drawled. “The longer we go without a Hokage, the more likely it is that our enemies will take advantage. There are many things yet to be done - finalizing the deal with Sunagakure, replenishing our personnel - as well as other decisions that must be made before we can move forward.”

 

“Danzo is right,” Homura sighed. “We need to consider our options. If it comes down to it, we must be prepared to have someone else fill that role.”

 

“Hatake Kakashi,” Shikaku put forward immediately. “He is a well-respected Jonin whose name is known and feared throughout the nations. Many in the village respect his opinion-”

 

“He is also comatose after a single encounter with Uchiha Itachi,” Danzo retorted. “We need someone who can stand up to the likes of both him and Orochimaru.”

 

“Then we should wait for them to return with Tsunade-hime,” insisted Shikaku.

 

“A woman who abandoned the village over a decade ago because she lost people precious to her,” he all but sneered. “Powerful she may be, but such a person is useless if they cannot overcome their own grief and stand up for the village.”

 

Shikaku grit his teeth, audibly scraping them together. Homura’s gaze shifted between the two as he shuffled some papers in front of him. “Well, unless someone were to come forward for the position, we may have no choice-”

 

Danzo’s mouth opened, but Shikaku was faster. “The Jonin and the clans, whom I speak for, would put their vote behind Tsunade-hime before anyone else. I say we wait.”

 

Danzo’s single slitted eye bore into his. “The village cannot wait forever.”

 

“Two more weeks,” Shikaku insisted. “Give them time to find her.”

 

“One,” Danzo countered.

 

“Ten days,” Koharu stated definitively. “We shall split it down the middle and give them ten days to send word. After that…” She sighed. “We will make do with what - and who - we have.”

 

Danzo's mind turned as he left the meeting, plans within plans clicking into place. The Council was getting more desperate - that was helpful. So long as they received no word from Jiraiya, they could easily be pushed to find an alternative - and there was no one in the village better suited for the position now than he. He just had to keep dropping reminders of what their enemies were capable of…and make sure that communications continued to be obstructed.

 

Luckily, while even he did not know how Jiraiya's messages usually arrived in the village, he was able to have an agent intercept them before they reached the Elders.

 

Jiraiya was getting close, according to those messages. He was working with that girl, who was proving to be quite the asset when it came to gathering intel. Her teacher had trained her well…what a missed opportunity that was!

 

No matter. She would prove useful in the coming months in other ways.

 

Once sure he was not being followed, Danzo made his way to a particular district of Konoha that rarely saw human activity anymore. Civilians believed the area to be haunted; even most Shinobi preferred to steer clear of the place, whether out of superstition or respect. That suited him perfectly well, allowing for dependable privacy.

 

The seventh tatami mat on the far right…a short stairwell…light the twin torches…and there it was. This was the room guarded jealously by the Uchiha when they'd been alive, the room in which they plotted their treacherous coup. The wrinkles in Danzo's weathered face deepened with a scowl; how easily that clan had fallen to disloyalty when tested! It was a blessing to be rid of them - one more blight on the tree of Konohagakure eradicated, a branch pruned to make the overall structure stronger in the long run.

 

The clan had its uses though, even in death. The stone tablet he looked upon now was one example of that. It was a chance discovery after the massacre, and one that Danzo had kept largely to himself. To the naked eye, it was merely a slab of grey rock with nonsensical scratches on its surface. Nothing special, certainly not worth the reverence with which the clan had long treated it.

 

To another sort of eye, it was something far more interesting.

 

Danzo closed his left eye and pulled up the bandages covering the right; he felt the rush of chakra to the orb even before opening it, felt its power eager to be released…so he opened the Sharingan.

 

Immediately, the world around him changed. Instead of simple firelight illuminating the room, he saw wisps of chakra outlining every object. There, on the stone tablet, named after the founder of the Uchiha clan, the scratches morphed into glowing characters in an ancient dialect. Such arrogance in the writing, claiming that the clan was meant for a grand destiny, that it was unique and solely worthy of power…he couldn't help a small, smug smirk. Look at where the “great clan” was now.

 

This was only the first level of inscription. A sharp pulse of chakra fed more power into the Sharingan, making the triple tomoe swirl and melt into a more solid pinwheel shape - and with it, the tablet, too, changed. The marks shifted, forming new characters that revealed a new message.  _“Do not regret, do not despair; it is your responsibility to bear this power and use it to lead the world. Man and spirit alike bend to you…”_ It went on to hint at what the Uchiha’s grand destiny was: something about “ _finishing what was begun by the Sage…”_

 

It was a message steeped in ancient lore about the supposed creator of ninjutsu: The Sage of Six Paths. The stories varied from teller to teller, some claiming that the Sage was a god who took a human-like form to teach humanity how to use chakra; others said he was a man who became a god, and still other versions had him as a creature from another world. Most, however, agreed that the Sage was a myth, a creation of earlier civilizations who needed a way to explain the presence and origin of chakra.

 

Danzo was never one for bedtime stories - and that was all the supposed Sage was. He was, however, a pragmatic man, and according to this tablet, written by the father of the Uchiha clan himself, the Sharingan was capable of far more than had ever been believed. It had long been only rumored that the Sharingan could subdue the Kyuubi, that monstrous mass of chakra now contained in a mere child, but according to this tablet, that was merely the tip of the proverbial iceberg.

 

No…here, on this relic kept by a clan he himself had cleansed from the earth, lay the answer for how to make Konoha the dominant power in the ninja world, as it was always meant to be. This was the key to Konoha’s salvation - and his own legacy.

 

* * *

 

Kaiya watched from behind as Naruto struggled to focus on his right hand while walking. Jiraiya had finally started to train the boy shortly after they got their first lead; he and Kaiya then took turns going into towns to find more information on Tsunade’s whereabouts while the blond busied himself with training. Naruto had already made great strides in learning this new technique, something Jiraiya called the “Rasengan” - one of Yondaime’s original creations. He’d popped water balloons and rubber balls for two and a half weeks, and now he was on the final stage: shaping and containing his chakra in the palm of his hand.

 

With a grudging sigh, Kaiya had to admit to herself: she was a little envious. Naruto was learning a new jutsu - one that would doubtless make him a formidable opponent - yet she was stuck doing inner chakra control exercises and refreshing her Body Flicker skills. It wasn’t just her arms that were affected by the chakra burns; it was her whole system, making even basic skills seem tenuous.

 

So while Naruto attempted to swirl pure chakra in his palm, she engaged in an exercise of her own. Every few meters along the road, she picked a spot and flickered to it. It was an easy enough task, but when she first started a few weeks ago, she kept overshooting or completely missing her intended destinations. It was more than frustrating - it was humiliating. Body flicker was was something she prided herself on; often mistaken for teleportation, it was actually just extremely fast movement aided by a small burst of chakra. Most ninja used a smoke screen or other elusive means to cover their movements, making it seem as though they were vanishing into thin air. Those most adept at the technique, like the famed Uchiha Shisui, didn’t need such tricks; they simply disappeared without a trace, or could move so fast that opponents saw only after-images.

 

Kaiya felt a pang in her chest as she remembered Shisui’s cheeky grin and untamed hair. She’d had the privilege of knowing him for a short time before his death; he was one of Yuuma’s former students and more than happy to do the man a favor. He’d worked with her to refine her natural speed, helping her develop agility and precision; he’d even introduced her to his after-image technique, though it took her several months to even begin to master.

 

Now, because of the chakra burns screwing up her circulation, it was like she’d never met the guy.

 

_Soon,_ she reminded herself as frustration began to well up, making her chest feel tight.  _We’ll find Tsunade, then you’ll be back to normal._

 

“Okay,” Jiraiya called as their next town crested the horizon. “The last lead we got-”

 

“The one I got from that sake dealer?” Kaiya asked, flickering to his left.

 

“Yes, that one,” he said, rolling his eyes. “According to that one, Tsunade could very well be in this next town-”

 

“Yeah, yeah,” Naruto groaned nearby. “We know, ya know? I’m tryin’ to concentrate here!”

 

“Too bad - would you stop doing that?!”

 

Kaiya, now on his right side, let a mischievous grin spread across her face. At least her flickering exercise could be used to annoy Jiraiya. “What? I’m training.”

 

Jiraiya’s broad shoulders sagged, a sour expression on his face. “I need a drink.”

 

It was well into the evening when they dropped their bags at an inn and made their way to a local tavern. Street lamps cast a warm glow on the pavement; this was by far one of the nicest towns they’d been to, a true tourist destination thanks to the presence of an old castle that once belonged to a feudal lord. Shops a-plenty lined the streets; well-dressed visitors roamed among them, filling the air with the titter of polite conversation. The tavern was decently full without feeling packed; Kaiya glanced around at the clientele. Most were men, probably either just off work or tourists taking a break from their families. A few were couples, clearly out on a date. Her eyes lingered on one couple; their body language suggested that this was a new relationship, full of stolen glances and sheepish smiles. The girl’s eyes positively glittered whenever she looked at her male companion, and he in turn wore a look of pure adoration that made the girl blush.

 

For a scant second, Kaiya saw different faces in place of theirs: the girl with crimson hair and fairer skin, the boy with raven-black hair and onyx eyes; the soft smiles and whispered dreams, the seemingly boundless hope and faith in a bright future…

 

She turned away, trying to ignore the growing void in her chest. In her distraction, she nearly bumped into Naruto, who’d all but walked directly into Jiraiya’s newly stock-still form. “What the-”

 

“Hey, Pervy Sage, what’s the hold-up?!”

 

But Jiraiya paid neither her nor Naruto any mind, his face a frozen in comical shock, pointing directly at a blonde woman in a booth just ahead. “Tsunade?!”

 

“Jiraiya?!” shrieked the woman, standing straight up.

 

Kaiya did a double take. She’d seen a couple of photos of Tsunade, courtesy of Jiraiya, and even though she’d been warned of her appearance-altering jutsu, she wasn’t expecting…this. The woman staring back at them was, in a word, gorgeous - no older than thirty in appearance, with honey-blonde hair that framed a lovely oval face, amber eyes, and possibly the most generous chest Kaiya had even seen.

 

“Jeez,” Naruto muttered beside her. “No wonder he wanted to find _her_ so bad, right? Heehee!” 

 

Kaiya half-heartedly smacked him upside the head for the comment.

 

Jiraiya strode over to the booth with a wide grin. “Well, talk about a lucky break! Here we’ve been looking for you for weeks, and now we just happen to run into you! Heh, shoulda known to look in a place like this! Naruto, Kaiya - come on over and meet the lady!”

 

Kaiya and Naruto exchanged a look and a shrug. The table was already strewn with spent sake carafes and cups; Jiraiya waved down a waiter to bring them more, as well as food for the two underage ninja. Across from them and next to Tsunade sat another woman, presumably only as old as she appeared, with short dark hair and large, equally dark eyes. She clutched a pig in her lap.

 

“Shizune,” Jiraiya greeted. “Long time no see! You’ve really grown up nicely!”

 

Kaiya wished she was directly next to the man so she could kick him for his lurid tone.

 

The waiter dropped off a plate of grilled mackerel for Naruto and some fried sweet potato for her; all the while, Tsunade glowered at Jiraiya from behind a sake cup. The silence stretched out over the booth like a chill fog, rendering their little corner in sharp contrast to the bustling, warm atmosphere in the rest of the tavern.

 

Shizune was the first to attempt breaking the pall. “I can’t believe I’m actually meeting another Sannin!”

 

Kaiya snorted. “Don’t be too impressed. This one’s an irresponsible pervert.”

 

Tsunade, cheeks flushed from drink, smiled and laid her chin in her hand. “Oh, I like this one. Where’d you find her?”

 

“Oh, her?” Jiraiya shrugged and took a swig of sake. “This is Fuumaki Kaiya...and Uzumaki Naruto.”

 

Tsunade’s brows furrowed. For a moment, she stared at Kaiya and Naruto as though they were a puzzle she was trying to solve. Naruto was oblivious to the look; he’d gotten more than a few strange glances in his life and was probably immune to them by now. Kaiya, on the other hand, felt an uncomfortable sense of deja vu - she wasn’t as accustomed to such stares, but something about the way the woman looked at her seemed familiar.

 

She was probably just staring at Naruto, Kaiya reasoned, trying not to squirm under the piercing amber gaze.

 

Finally, Tsunade leaned back and turned her attention back to her former teammate. “New apprentices? I didn’t think you’d be taking on any more students.”

 

“Naruto’s the new one,” Jiraiya answered. “Kaiya just came along for the ride. Seemed pretty eager to meet you.”

 

“Oh? Why’s that?”

 

Jiraiya tilted his head back to glance at Kaiya. “You wanna show her?”

 

In a public tavern? It was hardly ideal - but with a deep breath, Kaiya peeled down her right glove, revealing the blotchy skin of her arm. “The skin is healing, but I haven’t been able to use chakra in almost two months.”

 

Shizune gave a sympathetic hum and immediately reached out for a better look. “Those must have been some pretty bad burns…how’d you get them?”

 

“You heard what happened to the Third Hokage?” Jiraiya asked in a low voice, looking to Tsunade.

 

The blonde had barely batted an eye at Kaiya’s arm, instead closing her eyes as she threw back another cup of sake. “Yeah,” she murmured over the empty cup. “I heard.”

 

“Kaiya here got injured trying to break through the barrier Orochimaru put up around himself and Sarutobi-sensei,” Jiraiya continued. “Even made it through - but just a little too late.”

 

Kaiya averted her eyes, cheeks hot as she felt Tsunade’s gaze drift back to her. Jiraiya made it sound like she’d done something heroic, but all it did was remind her of her failure.

 

Tsunade looked unimpressed. “So?”

 

Naruto nearly dropped his chopsticks in astonishment. “Whaddya mean, ‘so?!’ What’re you gonna do about Kaiya-nee-chan’s arms, huh?”

 

“Nothing.” Four widened pairs of eyes shot to Tsunade; even Shizune looked astonished, but the blonde woman merely shrugged. “I haven’t healed anyone in years.”

 

Kaiya’s heart slowly sank in her chest. No. This couldn’t be. She did not just travel for a month looking for this supposedly legendary healer just to be so easily turned away. “Well, you’d best start with me then, ‘cause there are others back home who need your help, too!”

 

“Why? All it’ll do is let them - and you - get yourselves hurt all over again. I won’t be a party to that.”

 

“You’ll be a party to that, and more,” Jiraiya insisted, crossing his arms.

 

“Meaning?”

 

“Meaning,” he stated, “that in its wisdom, the village has decided to name you, Tsunade, as the Fifth Hokage.”

 

Kaiya did a double take between the two; Naruto started choking on his mackerel. Hokage? That was why they’d been searching for her? Then Kaiya wanted to smack her forehead at her own stupidity. Of  _course_ they hadn’t just been looking for Tsunade as a healer. Heck, Jiraiya and Naruto had left  _before_ learning that Kakashi and Sasuke had been rendered comatose. How had she missed that? 

 

But -  _this_ was the village’s choice for Hokage? 

 

Once he stopped choking, Naruto gave a loud voice to both their astonishment. “Wait a sec, this lady’s the Fifth Hokage?! What’s that supposed to mean? Who is she, anyway? I thought she was just a medic!”

 

“Tsunade’s one of the Sannin, like Perv- like Jiraiya,” Kaiya explained on autopilot, tugging him back down into his seat by the sleeve. She still couldn’t believe it, though.

 

“But even you said she’s not that great a ninja if she’s always drunk and gambling and stuff,” Naruto blurted out. “So how is _she_ our next Hokage?!” 

 

Kaiya blushed hard as both Tsunade’s and Shizune’s eyes darted to her, suddenly wishing to disappear under the booth. “Naruto…you didn’t have to say that out loud!”

 

Tsunade shrugged nonchalantly. “Well, clearly I can’t take the position since I’m ‘not a great ninja.’ I’ll just have to decline.”

 

Kaiya tensed, uncertain whether the woman was being sarcastic or not. On the other end of the bench, Jiraiya gave her a serious, no-nonsense look. “I’ll say it once more. Tsunade. The village has chosen  _you_ as their leader.” 

 

“And I’ll say it again,” she spat. “I. Refuse.”

 

Naruto groaned and buried his hands in his hair. “Ughhh, I don’t understand! Pervy Sage, you said we were gonna bring her back to heal Sasuke and Kakashi-sensei, and that she was gonna heal Kaiya-nee-chan, too! Now you’re sayin’ she’s gonna be Hokage? But she’s saying she’s not? What the heck’s goin’ on?!”

 

“So is this your new apprentice, Jiraiya?” Tsunade mocked. “Gotta say, he’s nothing like the last one. Way louder. Funny looking, too.”

 

“Hey!”

 

Jiraiya grinned and crossed his arms. “Hey, it’s hard to compare them. Namikaze Minato had every sign of being the most remarkable ninja in generations - natural talent, a brilliant mind, popularity, and good looks that nearly rivaled his teacher’s!”

 

“Yet none of that stopped him from dying young,” Tsunade hissed. “Throwing your life away like that…and for what?”

 

Kaiya narrowed her eyes at the blonde woman, frost creeping into her veins. “He was protecting his village.”

 

“And?” Tsunade swirled her refreshed sake cup with one hand. “What good did it do?”

 

“It saved hundreds of lives,” Kaiya shot back, tone icy. “Or doesn’t that matter to a medic-nin?”

 

“A Hokage is supposed to _lead_ the people,” Tsunade retorted. “What good is a leader who’s dead?!” 

 

“Better to try doing _something_ than to run away,” Kaiya retorted in a venomous tone. She didn’t care if she was crossing a line right now, or that she didn’t know the full circumstances of this woman’s past - she wasn’t going to sit by while the blonde made a mockery of other people’s sacrifices. 

 

Rather than back down in humiliation, Tsunade leaned forward, amber eyes slitted. “And what did playing the hero get you then, hm? Why bother fighting at all when all it does is give you pain?”

 

“To protect the people I care about, for one!”

 

“And when they’re all gone? Then what? What would you do if all the people precious to you were suddenly gone?”

 

“I wouldn’t use it as an excuse to abandon people who need me!”

 

Tsunade huffed in derision. "Do they? Need you, I mean? I look at you, and I see a kunoichi with big ideas, maybe even the ability to see them come to fruition if given the chance. But do they ever give you the chance?"

 

It was like being hit in the chest with a sledgehammer; suddenly, every rejected proposal sprang to her mind, leaving her speechless. "I..."

 

"Even if they did,” Tsunade barreled forward, “would they follow through? I can answer that for you: They won't. They will pretend to listen, pretend to care, but in the end, they will do  _nothing!_ "

 

She pounded a fist on the table for emphasis, making the dishes rattle violently. A shocked hush fell over the tavern at her outburst. Tsunade paid them no mind, leaning back in her seat looking satisfied at having made her point. “And even if they do act, it will be too little, too late for anything that matters. That’s reality.”

 

Kaiya stared at her slack-jawed, shaking her head slowly. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. This was the person the village wanted as their leader? This bitter, volatile, callous pessimist? “Then  _do something about it._ You’re being handed what you need to change all of that and make a difference!” 

 

“As the Hokage?” Tsunade clicked her tongue. “Who in their right mind would take that job? You know what happens to the Hokage, kids? They die. Horribly. That’s how my grandfather and great-uncle went, how the Third and Fourth both went - and for what? What, exactly, did they accomplish with their ‘great sacrifice?’ They’re dead, and the world is just as shitty as it ever was!”

 

Kaiya threw up her hands and stormed out of the booth. “That’s it. I’m done.”

 

As she strode toward the exit, she heard Naruto taking her place in the shouting match, but she was too furious to take in what was being said. Who the hell did this woman think she was? And what the hell was the village council thinking, offering the Hokage position to her? She hadn't been in the village for years!

 

And on top of all that…she wasn't about to heal anyone. Not Kaiya, not Sasuke, not Kakashi…what would happen to them? Kaiya's steps slowed and she sagged against a wall, fighting the stinging in her eyes. Was this it? Sure, she may have proved on this trip that she could still do low-level recon work, but the village would just see her as damaged goods. Unusable.

 

Worthless.

 

Kaiya pounded her fist back against the wall, letting the pain jolt her from her pity party. No. She was not letting this be the final answer. She didn't care if she had to help Jiraiya drag the woman back bound and gagged, didn't care if it took some sort of Yamanaka-style mind control to make her do it, but Tsunade was coming back to the village and she was healing Sasuke and Kakashi. Then she could disappear into the dregs of the gambling world for all Kaiya cared.

 

For now, she had some steam to blow off.

 

A couple hours and several kilometers’ worth of running later, Kaiya returned to the inn to find Jiraiya already in their room. “Where's Na-”

 

“Off training,” Jiraiya answered before she could finish the question. “I've got eyes on him, don't worry. He made quite the bet with Tsunade, though.”

 

“Bet?”

 

“He bet her that if he could master the Rasengan inside a week, she'd have to come back with us to heal your friends.”

 

Kaiya paused in laying out her futon. “He  _what_ ?” 

 

“And she agreed!” Jiraiya laughed. “Gotta hand it to that kid - he doesn't know when to give up! She even offered to throw in her necklace - it was her grandfather’s, the First Hokage's. And get this - he said no to that! Seriously, that thing's gotta be worth a fortune, but he said he didn't give a crap about it. There was something else he wanted more.”

 

“What?”

 

“Her to heal you,” Jiraiya said pointedly.

 

Kaiya sat in stunned silence for a moment before leaping up.

 

“Where are you going?”

 

“To find him,” she answered.

 

“You gonna try and talk him outta it?”

 

Kaiya paused at the door. “No. I'm going to help him.”

 

* * *

 

A few days later, Kaiya looked up from her notebook when she heard another groan of frustration - the fifth in just under an hour. “You sure you don't want me to-”

 

“I told you, I got it!” Naruto shouted over his shoulder from a couple meters away.

 

“Well, excuse me,” she huffed, turning her attention back to her notebook.

 

“Wow,” came a feminine voice from behind her. “He's really working hard, isn't he?”

 

“Shizune-san!” Kaiya snapped her notebook shut and greeted the dark-haired assistant, whom she hadn't seen since the first night in the tavern.

 

Shizune's kind eyes crinkled in a smile that immediately put Kaiya at ease. “Please, no need to get up! Actually…do you mind if I join you?”

 

“Um…sure, no problem.” Kaiya shifted over as Shizune took a seat beside her on the cool, dry grass, taking in the woman's appearance. She hadn't had a much chance to get to know Shizune that other night; Tsunade had done most of the talking. “So…is there something you need, or…?”

 

Shizune waved a hand dismissively. “Oh, I was just walking by and thought I'd say hello!”

 

“In the forest?” asked Kaiya in a dubious tone. “A full kilometer outside of town?”

 

“Okay, you caught me,” she laughed. “I came to find you, actually. I…apologize for Tsunade-sama’s behavior the other night.”

 

Kaiya shook her head. “You don't have to apologize for her.”

 

“Well, call it a habit,” she said. “You'd be surprised how often I wind up doing just that.”

 

Somehow, Kaiya didn't think she would be surprised.

 

“If I may…” Shizune turned to her. “May I take another look at your arms? I'm not quite as good at Tsunade-sama, but she did train me. Perhaps there's something I can do.”

 

Kaiya blinked in surprise. Something about this woman was completely disarming; she felt she could trust her implicitly. “Well…sure, I guess…”

 

She peeled off the compression gloves and allowed Shizune to take her hands. The woman's face became unreadable as she examined and scanned, a faint, light green chakra illuminating the skin as she went. After a few minutes, Shizune pulled back and sighed.

 

“Those burns are bad…they go far deeper than I’ve ever seen. This does require Tsunade's expertise,” she said. “It's beyond my skill. I'm sorry.”

 

“Thanks for checking,” Kaiya replied, pulling her glove back up and trying not to read too much into the other woman’s sudden aversion to eye contact. “Really, I appreciate it. But…no offense, but _will_ Tsunade actually see me if - when - Naruto masters this jutsu?” 

 

“Of course!” Shizune looked shocked at the suggestion.

 

“It's just that…well…she has a bit of a reputation for…”

 

“Not paying her debts?” Shizune gave a beleaguered sigh. “I'll admit, sometimes she gambles beyond her means, but she _always_ pays her debts. Sometimes it just…take a little extra time.” 

 

Kaiya hoped she could take her word for it.

 

Shizune glanced over at Naruto again. “He certainly is determined, isn't he?”

 

Kaiya smiled. “He is…and he's set on doing this on his own. I've offered to help him figure it out, but…he kinda banned me.”

 

Shizune giggled. “I couldn't believe it when Tsunade actually took him up on that bet! I've seen her make some strange wagers, but never with that necklace. It's good that Naruto doesn't want it, though.”

 

“Oh?”

 

“Well…” Shizune lowered her voice, though Naruto was far too intent on his task to be listening to them. “That necklace…it's cursed. Anyone who wears it, except for Tsunade…they die.”

 

Kaiya stared at Shizune for a full second. “…seriously?”

 

“I know how it sounds,” Shizune said, “but it's true. Look…don't tell anyone I told you this, especially not Tsunade-sama…but she's given that necklace to only two people in her life, people who were very important to her. They both shared a dream - to become Hokage, to protect the village and to change how things are done. One was my uncle, her partner. See, when Tsunade first suggested to the Council that the village should specially train medic-nin and have one on each squad, they turned her down at first.”

 

“But that's standard practice now,” Kaiya said. “Has been for years.”

 

“Thanks to her, and thanks…to my uncle.” Shizune's eyes lowered in memory. “He supported her vision, helped her push it through a second, then a third time - but by the time it finally passed…he had already died in battle.”

 

_Too little, too late…_ Now Tsunade's bitter words made more sense. “What does that have to do with the necklace?” 

 

“She gave it to my uncle shortly before he died,” Shizune explained. “It was the second time she put her faith in someone's dream to be Hokage, and in their ability to make a difference. The first time she gave that necklace…it was to her baby brother, Nawaki.” She glanced up toward Naruto. “He was about Naruto-kun’s age when he was killed on a battlefield near the end of the Second War. It was his death that spurred Tsunade to push for change in the first place, which brought her together with my uncle. But the common factors between them…”

 

“Were Tsunade,” Kaiya murmured. “The necklace…and her faith in them.” Her own eyes drifted to the blond boy, who let out another cry of frustration before setting himself back to work almost immediately. What would she do if Naruto…no. She couldn't even bare to finish the thought. It made her chest clench painfully and restricted her lungs to consider the notion.

 

If she felt this way just from the mere idea of losing Naruto…what must it have been like for Tsunade?

 

It didn't make up for what the woman had said the other night…but it did make sense now. The drinking, the gambling…Kaiya did have an idea of what it felt like to be helpless to aid the ones she loved, and she'd only been dealing with the feeling for a couple of months. But after years of loss and rejection and guilt…yes, she could understand, at least a bit, why Tsunade was the way she was.

 

However… “Something I don't get, though…becoming Hokage would mean she'd actually get to change things. Why would she turn that down, especially considering what she's lost? And if the necklace is supposedly cursed, why'd she offer it to Naruto?”

 

Shizune shook her head. “I've been her apprentice since I was thirteen, and I still don't understand some of the things she does. One thing I'm certain of though: she would be a good Hokage.”

 

Kaiya was inclined to doubt that, but she reminded herself that she didn't know the woman as well as Shizune. With a sigh, she decided that at the very least, she should give the female Sannin the benefit of the doubt until she knew more.

 

* * *

 

Jiraiya was bored. With Tsunade found, all he really had to do was make sure she didn’t run off before the week was up. Naruto was hard at work on the Rasengan, and Kaiya still insisted on sticking near him, even though she knew he was looked after. This left Jiraiya with a few hours of peace, something that had been rare these past few weeks. Normally, he’d head straight for the nearest club, where he’d spend his free time and money chatting up the local hostesses and drinking until the world seemed light as a feather. Strangely, his usual appetite for the company of attractive young women was low, so even though this town had plenty of tempting options for him, he didn’t feel like indulging.

 

Instead, he had an urge to chat up his old friend - and he knew exactly how to find her in this town. Tourists spots had no shortage of watering holes, and he knew the sorts that his old teammate preferred. It came as no surprise to him to see the honey-blonde head hunched over a sake set at one in the afternoon; unfortunately, it also was not surprising to see the pensive, almost unbearable sadness in her lovely face, either.

 

What he wouldn’t give to see a real smile from her again, so see those amber eyes alight with mischief rather than dulled by bitterness. But Jiraiya knew all too well the sort of burdens that Tsunade carried in that heavy bosom; he could only hope that in becoming Hokage, that position that her brother and lover had aspired to, she might at least find some fulfillment in her life. For now, he put on a knowing grin and sat down beside her.

 

“Starting early, I see,” he greeted. “I guess Shizune wanted to get some actual sight-seeing done?”

 

“Jiraiya,” she scoffed, her expression shifting to one of annoyance. “What do you want?”

 

“Just checking in,” he answered jovially. “So you haven't tried to skip town yet. That’s good.”

 

“I keep my word.”

 

“Yeah, I know you do,” he said, pouring her another cup. “And you also know that even if you did leave, I'd just track you down again.”

 

Tsunade clicked her tongue. “Persistent as always. So annoying.”

 

A waiter came by, asking if he could provide another set. Jiraiya thanked him before Tsunade could cut him off. Once they were alone again, she continued scowling into the clear, shimmering liquid. “I know why you brought those two. It still won't work.”

 

Rather than play innocent, Jiraiya simply shrugged. “Give it time. You did take that bet with Naruto, after all. And Kaiya…you can't say she doesn't remind you of someone.”

 

Tsunade frowned. “Is she really…?”

 

He gave a solemn nod. “Yep. I honestly don't know why all the smoke and mirrors about it, though. I'd have thought Sarutobi-sensei would've told her before…”

 

A derisive snort escaped her mouth. “The old man always procrastinated on things like that. I'm surprised  _you_ haven't told her.” 

 

“Didn't think it was my place.” Tsunade gave him a look that clearly said she didn’t believe him, putting him on the defensive. “Look, I'm just saying that procrastination or not, the old man must've had a good reason for not telling her, and until we know what it was, best not to upset the cabbage cart.”

 

Tsunade smirked and swirled the sake bottle. “You're just afraid of a teenage girl.”

 

“Am not!” Jiraiya sputtered, cheeks coloring. “And in my defense, she’s got a mean left hook!”

 

“Now that _does_ sound familiar,” she said with a faraway look. 

 

Jiraiya studied her for a moment. “You really tore into her the other night. Was it really necessary?”

 

“She should know what the world’s really like,” Tsunade argued. “Things never change, no matter how much you rail about it.”

 

“Oh, I dunno about that,” he quipped. “Take Naruto, for instance. When I met him, the kid seemed to have zero potential - but through sheer determination, he managed to summon Gamabunta, of all things! Yeah, it took a little, erm, push, but you can’t deny that the kid’s a go-getter.”

 

“It’ll get him killed,” she muttered.

 

“Then why’d you accept that bet? Why offer him that necklace o’yours if you don’t actually want him to succeed?”

 

“Why the hell did you come in here, Jiraiya?” she snapped.

 

“Looks like I hit a nerve,” he said, one brow raised. “But hey - I’m not looking to get my ribs broken today. I’ll leave you to your drink.”

 

He got up and left a few bills on the table, leaving her to fume into her sake. Despite the way the conversation had turned, he walked out with a good feeling about this whole bet. Even if she wouldn’t admit it, Tsunade was clearly begging for someone to prove her callous views wrong. And she was right - bringing those two kids with him on this trip was certainly by design. Well, Naruto was, at least - but Kaiya was proving to be pretty useful, too.

 

There were just a few days left before this ridiculous bet was up. So long as Naruto managed to create even a small Rasengan, things were looking good; they just had to get through the next few days without any more complications.

 

* * *

 

Evening fell fast over the town, so that by the time Kaiya started back toward the inn, the sky was a moonless black and the streets basked in the soft glow of late night lamps. After Jiraiya had returned to watch over Naruto’s training for a bit, she had gone off for a bit of her own. It was hardly her favorite activity, but it was doctor’s orders, so to speak: sit still and focus on her chakra.

 

Meditation was always a chore, leaving her mind open to intrusive thoughts and unwanted memories. Ironic, really - it was easy for her mind to conjure up recollections of things she’d rather forget, yet when she tried to get it running on things she did want to know…nothing. Her parents? Her own mother’s face? Heck, sometimes she wondered if her name was really her own. There were no records of a “Fuumaki” family in Konoha; there was a chance they were undocumented refugees from the third war, but that wasn’t much comfort to someone who’d lost the first five years of her life. She needed something - a picture, a name,  _anything_ that would trigger some sort of memory! 

 

Instead, her mind seemed content to torture her with reminders of her own inadequacy. She remembered the day the team learned that Yuuma was a massacre victim. She remembered her first kill, how personal and shocking and messy it was. And she remembered times spent with Itachi, sweet glances and stolen kisses that were forever tainted with the blood of his clan and her mentor.

 

Yet memories of Itachi felt strangely disconnected from the rest of her experiences, as though they belonged to a different person. It was like something wasn’t adding up, like it was impossible that the Itachi she remembered and the murderer were the same being, even though she intellectually knew it to be true. Never did the discrepancies stand out to her more than when she tried to quiet her mind while her body was still; in those agonizing moments, she felt the loss all over again - of her sensei, of a person who’d never really existed…of the future she’d once hoped for. In those moments, she was acutely aware of her shame and grief, and she hated it.

 

At least when she was moving, running, doing katas or sparring, she could focus on external sensation and let her mind go deliciously blank. The adrenaline made everything else sink away so that she didn’t have to acknowledge the constant void in her chest or the nagging questions shoved into the deepest corners of her psyche…or the fear that she might never use ninjutsu again.

 

Meditation to focus on her chakra wasn’t working. Her fears and anxieties acted as constant roadblocks when she tried, and the few times she managed to push past it all and be completely aware of her chakra, all she felt was a mix of solid walls and dangerous potholes in her arms. She needed her tenketsu points  _fixed_ \- and in her talk with Shizune that afternoon, she had gotten the distinct feeling that there was little that could be done. 

 

_Enough_ , she told herself.  _Stop feeling sorry for yourself and do something about it._ But what? As far as she knew, she was doing everything she could to get back into working condition. Right now, all she could do was wait another few days to see if a traumatized ex-medic-nin with a drinking and gambling problem would be able to heal her. 

 

The room was dark when she returned to the inn - Naruto was probably still training, Jiraiya presumably with him. Kaiya sighed and debated between getting something to eat or just taking a bath and going to bed early for a change. Or perhaps she would get back to work on that Hiraishin formula - she was pretty sure she had all the kinks worked out, it was just impossible to test it without -

 

The hair on the back of her neck stood up. She froze, eyes darting around the apparently empty room until she picked out what had tipped her off: she hadn't left that window open.

 

Someone else was here.

 

Slowly, she made her way to her bag near the window, her hands turning to loosen the hidden kunai holsters under her jacket sleeves. A faint rustle of fabric, a barely perceptible shift in the air - she spun around and faced the intruder, knives out, half-crouched in a defensive stance.

 

The other person immediately held up their hands. “I’m not here to fight,” a male voice announced. “I just want to talk.”

 

She knew that voice - there was no way in hell she’d forget it now. A dim street light shining through the window illuminated features that she recognized immediately: a ponytail…and round glasses. Her blood boiled in her veins.

 

“Kabuto,” she hissed, her grip on her kunai tightening.

 

“Hello again, Kaiya,” he greeted, as casually as if they’d met in the town square in midday. “Not thrilled to see me, I take it.”

 

“Give me one good reason to not slit your throat right now,” she growled.

 

His lips quirked upward at one corner. “You're injured.” A twitch of her brow gave away her surprise, and he sighed. “I saw what happened at the barrier. I did warn you not to go for it, my dear.”

 

“You kept me from getting there _in time,_ ” she shot back. “If I opened it sooner, the Hokage could still be alive!”

 

“I'll admit that was part of the reason,” he conceded in the tone of one explaining something to a child. “But I was also trying to protect you.”

 

Kaiya scoffed. Every muscle in her body twitching to charge at the bastard. She wanted to tear him apart, to wipe that smug expression from his face once and for all! “Why the hell should I believe anything you say?!”

 

“The only outright lie I ever told you was about being a Chunin,” he replied, keeping his hands up. “Everything else…”

 

“You’re a _spy,_ ” she hissed. “Your whole identity is a lie!” 

 

Kabuto smirked. “But  _I_ know who I am. Can you say the same?” 

 

This was how he’d gotten her last time, though knowing that didn’t make it any easier to deny the sudden, ravaging thirst for answers. He must have seen it in the slight widening of her eyes, the tiniest hitch of her breath, because his own lips quirked upward.

 

“You still don’t know, do you?” He slowly straightened, keeping his hands up but looking increasingly at ease. “Even though you’ve been traveling with the Toad Sage, he still hasn’t said anything…” Kabuto shook his head, softly clicking his tongue. “I have to say, even I’m disappointed in the guy now.”

 

Jiraiya? What on earth would he know about her family? She'd only met the guy a month ago.

 

“Didn't you wonder why Orochimaru-sama recognized you?”

 

_My, how you've grown…_

 

Kaiya shook her head. “He was talking to Kakashi…”

 

“Was he?” Kabuto raised a single brow. “Because when he spoke of it later, all he could talk about was _you_.” 

 

_He's lying, he's lying, he's lying…_ “Why are you here, Kabuto? Is that even your name?” 

 

“It's the first name I remember,” he replied. “So I guess you could say it is. As to why I'm here: I have a proposition for you.”

 

She nearly burst out laughing. “Oh, you have an offer for me? Seriously?”

 

“Seriously,” he all but growled, his mask of patience slipping. “Kaiya, you're in danger if you stay here.”

 

“Why's that?”

 

“Can't say.”

 

“Oh?” She clucked her tongue. “Uh-uh, you said you wouldn't lie.”

 

“I believe I said I haven't lied _yet_ ,” he corrected, matching her sing-song tone. “This is more…an omission. Look. It doesn't matter why - what matters is that you need to leave this town within the next few hours and get as far away as possible.” He dipped his head a little, causing the light from the open window to reflect against his glasses. “Naruto-kun is also in danger if you stay.” 

 

Naruto? The thought made her breath catch, but she talked herself down:  _He wants you out of here for some reason. He's probably just saying this because he knows you’d want to protect Naruto._ But how did this guy know so much about her?! “What are you, a stalker?” 

 

He sighed, shoulders sagging ever so slightly so that he almost looked sad. “You know…there was a time when you listened to me. Looked up to me, even. You don't remember me now…” His eyes rose to meet hers, wide and earnest. “But I can help fix that.”

 

“What are you…”

 

“This is my offer,” he said. “Leave now, and I will help you with your arms _and_ your memory.” 

 

Her mind rebelled against the notion on many levels. Him, heal her arms and memory? Like hell was she letting him anywhere near her! And why tell her to leave town? What danger was he talking about?

 

This so-called deal…what did he get out of it, really? There had to be some other reason he wanted her to leave. He must know that if she agreed, her first move would be to find Jiraiya and Naruto and tell them about this. She might leave, but only with them.

 

Which meant Jiraiya - one of the Sannin - would leave town. And why would he want a Sannin out of the way?

 

“Orochimaru,” she whispered, the blood draining from her face. “He's coming here…for Tsunade…”

 

He must have found out that she was the next Hokage…and he was coming to kill her before she was even inaugurated. That's why they wanted Jiraiya out of the way - he'd back Tsunade up, making it two Sannin against one. They were trying to better his chances.

 

“You've really gotten sharp,” Kabuto praised. “But I am serious about you being the one in danger.”

 

“What would he want with me?”

 

He shook his head in disbelief, pity creasing his brow. “You  _really_ don't know anything, do you? Just  _think_ \- haven't you ever wondered why you heal faster, last longer, have greater chakra reserves than anyone else?” 

 

_What the_ …this guy really had been stalking her, that was the only explanation! But everything he said…it was true. She’d wondered before, had even, on occasion, entertained certain notions about her lineage - but no. She wasn’t special. She wasn’t anything in particular. 

 

“Or do you really believe there's nothing remarkable about you?”

 

Kaiya's eyes flashed up to his. The way he spoke, so softly, as though he himself couldn't believe what he suggested… Seeing her hesitate, unable to refute him, his eyes softened. “Oh, Kaiya…how many lies have they told you to make you think that?”

 

Again with that claim… “What lies?”

 

Kabuto slowly extended his hand toward her. “Come with me. Let me get you off Orochimaru-sama’s path, and I won't just tell you - I'll help you  _remember_ .”

 

She shook her head but was rooted in place. “No. You work for him. You're a spy. You just want to take me to him-”

 

“No, I am _trying_ to get you _away_ from him!” Kabuto raked a hand through his bangs in exasperation. “He doesn't know you're here yet, but if you stay, he _will_ come after you. Just leave the Sannin to their business-” 

 

“I’m not going anywhere with you,” she retorted, trying to stay focused. She had to find Jiraiya, had to warn him and Tsunade - but first she had to shake Kabuto. There was a window to her back; she was always faster in open spaces, so if she could just get out of this room…

 

A shadow crossed Kabuto’s face, a veil that hardened his eyes. “Then I’m sorry, Kaiya…but this is for your own good.”

 

He darted forward as she leaped backward; the window burst open as she hit it, air rushing around her as she fell the two stories toward the ground. With a graceful roll, she was on her feet - only to be tackled to the ground.

 

“I had a feeling you'd run,” she heard Kabuto's voice in her ear. “So I sent a Shadow Clone inside to talk and waited out here. It doesn't have to be like this, my dear.”

 

“Stop - calling - me - that!” Every word punctuated an attempt to free herself, but his form was heavy on her back. Something sharp jabbed the side of her neck; within seconds, her struggles slowed, then ceased altogether as the world faded away…

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Place your bets now, folks! What does Kabuto want with Kaiya? And what is this big secret he keeps referring to? 
> 
> Thank y'all for reading so far! Reviews are love and fuel and make me want to post more ;)


	13. The Boy with the Glasses

**_Last time, in To Unravel the Night…_ **

 

_He darted forward as she leaped backward; the window burst open as she hit it, air rushing around her as she fell the two stories toward the ground. With a graceful roll, she was on her feet - only to be tackled to the ground._

 

“ _I had a feeling you'd run,” she heard Kabuto's voice in her ear. “So I sent a Shadow Clone inside to talk and waited out here. It doesn't have to be like this, my dear.”_

 

“ _Stop - calling - me - that!” Every word punctuated an attempt to free herself, but his form was heavy on her back. Something sharp jabbed the side of her neck; within seconds, her struggles slowed, then ceased altogether as the world faded away…_

 

**Chapter 13: The Boy in the Glasses**

 

_Kaiya dashed from the orphanage’s small classroom before the first tear fell. It didn't take long to find a corner where she could crouch down and wrap her arms around her knees. She set her mouth in a stubborn line, trying to hold in the sobs even as her eyes welled up. She wouldn't be a baby, she wouldn't cry, she wouldn't!_

 

_Soft steps approached, but she didn't peak up from her knees until the person crouched beside her. It was a boy, just a little older than her. She knew him, they'd played together before…but she couldn't remember his name! At that realization, the tears in her eyes spilled over and she shook with sobs._

 

“ _Hey…it's okay,” the boy cooed, shifting closer and putting an arm around her small shoulders. “You can tell me…why'd you run out of the classroom?”_

 

“ _I-I tried to write my name…but I c-couldn't…remember it!” With the confession came a wail that exploded from her throat and sent fresh streams of saltwater pouring down her cheeks. “Wh-wh-who am I?!”_

 

_The boy held her as she clung to his shirt, sobbing and soaking it with tears. He gently stroked her hair. “Your name is Kaiya - Fuumaki Kaiya, remember? You were writing it on a napkin on your first day here. That's when we met.”_

 

_Kaiya's cries slowed and she looked up at him. “Kaiya…? F-fuumaki Kaiya?”_

 

“ _Yes,” he nodded with a kind, patient smile. “That's you! You forget sometimes, but that's okay - you were hurt, it's not your fault.”_

 

“ _So I'm not a dummy?” she sniffed._

 

“ _Who said that?”_

 

“ _U-urushi…”_

 

_The boy smiled and shook his head. “Well, Urushi-kun is the dummy. There's nothing wrong with you.”_

 

“ _But…” Kaiya's head dropped. “I-I can't even remember what my mom and dad look like…”_

 

“ _Neither can I,” he assured her, rubbing her shoulder. “Am I a dummy?”_

 

_She blinked up at him and shook her head adamantly. “No! You're - ano…” Her nose scrunched as she tried to remember his name. She knew she knew it, it was just on the tip of her tongue! “Ka…Kato…”_

 

“ _Kabuto,” he supplied with a small laugh._

 

_Right away, her face lit up in recognition, as if she'd known the name all along. “Right! Kabuto-kun!”_

 

_Kabuto smiled down at her. “Feeling better then, Kaiya-chan? Ready to come back to class?”_

 

“ _Ah - well…” Kaiya fidgeted with the hem of her shirt, unsure that she wanted to go back to the same room as mean old Urushi._

 

_Kabuto nudged her. “If we don't hurry, we'll miss story time…”_

 

_As though a switch had been flipped, Kaiya’s head shot up with a panicked expression, her tears abruptly halted. She took Kabuto's hand and dragged him down the hallway back to the classroom._

 

_ She  **never** missed story time.  _

 

* * *

 

Kaiya awoke with a gasp, her body quaking with violent shivers. She felt like someone had thrown her into an frozen lake; her heart was racing, practically pounding out of her chest, and she couldn’t get enough air in her lungs. Where was she? What happened? Her eyes rebelled when she tried to look around; it was too painfully bright and her vision swam. She tried to move, but something constricted her arms and she nearly fell sideways.

 

A pair of hands steadied her before she could overbalance. “Whoa, there - take it easy.”

 

As her eyes adjusted, she saw Kabuto's face a foot away from her own. Immediately she tried to lunge past him, but she couldn’t  _move!_ “What the hell did you do to me?!”

 

“Calm down,” he ordered, tightening his grip on her shoulders to keep her from trying to move again. “We don't have all the time in the world, so I gave you something to wake you up. It has quite a kick, but it’ll wear off.”

 

‘Kick’ was an understatement, but as she breathed, she improved. Her vision steadied; there were no bright lights, just the ambient glow of a lantern in an otherwise dark…was this a room? The walls and ground were crumbly - earthen - and scraggly roots stuck out here and there. A shallow cave? She couldn’t see outside - how long had she been out? How far away had he taken her?

 

Then she realized why she couldn’t move: she was bound. Rope encircled her midsection, pinning her arms tightly to her sides with her wrists crossed at her back. Even if ninjutsu was an option, she couldn’t move her hands enough to make signs.

 

“The ropes are just a precaution,” Kabuto explained. “I figured you wouldn't appreciate the…manner in which this meeting took place.”

 

“No shit,” she spat. “If you think you can keep me here-”

 

“I know, I know,” he sighed. “People will notice you're missing. They'll come looking for you. And I'll tell you what: if you still want to go with them after we're done here, I won't stop you.”

 

Kaiya paused in her struggles to peer at him in utter bewilderment. Wait - he was just going to let her go? After they were done with  _what_ ? 

 

“Of course, I won't be here, either,” he added. “And by the time anyone does find you, Orochimaru-sama’s business will have concluded.”

 

Orochimaru's business…Tsunade! She was in danger! Kaiya's struggles began anew, purpose reigniting the fighting fire in her veins.

 

Kabuto just shook his head at her antics. “So eager to run back to that pack of liars…you won't be so enthusiastic when you know what they've kept from you.”

 

With one final, fruitless tug, Kaiya slumped in her bonds and glared at her captor. “You keep saying stuff like that - but you haven't told me anything, either!”

 

“You wouldn't believe me if I just told you outright,” he argued. “You don't trust me - not yet. You don't remember me.”

 

“From _what_?!” 

 

“The orphanage, Kaiya,” he said in an exasperated tone, pinching the bridge of his nose.

 

Kaiya shook her head. No. She knew everyone she'd grown up with, even the ones who left to find jobs of their own. Urushi, the only other Shinobi besides her and Naruto…Yukari, who went to live with an older couple on a farm in the west…faces flashed through her mind, attached to their stories and whereabouts. She was sure she knew what happened to all of them…

 

But…as she stared at Kabuto, not wanting to believe anything he said, she felt a chill run down her spine. The glasses…the hair…from the time he approached her in the library, she had thought he was familiar somehow…

 

_A boy, not much older than she, with glasses and a kind smile…_

 

“You don't remember,” he repeated, his tone far gentler than a moment ago. “I'll bet you repressed a lot from those first months, or just can't recall.”

 

She knew her memory had holes from the first few months at the orphanage - how could he know, unless…

 

“Do you remember running messages to the medical tents?”

 

She remembered running messages, repeating them to herself over and over so that she wouldn't forget, running as fast as she could before they faded…but where was she running to?

 

“You hated the medical tents,” Kabuto said softly, sympathy weighing his voice down. “The sounds…the smells…you were so sensitive to them.” A small, genuine smile passed his lips. “But you wanted to be helpful, so you bore it with a smile, my brave, dear girl.”

 

He reached out to touch her cheek; Kaiya shrank away from his touch, eyeing him warily.

 

“Right,” he sighed, his expression suddenly closed, guarded. “I'm the enemy to you. Well, I'm about to do something for you that your so-called allies never did: I'm going to help you remember.”

 

His hands flashed through signs and he pressed his fingers to her temples. She tried to kick out, to scramble away from him, but her back was to a wall and there was no where to go!

 

_Jigyaku no jutsu!_

 

Something pulsed from his fingers, an energy that seeped into her skull and overtook her vision, making everything foggy and dim. The world around her faded, then ceased to exist; her body went limp as her mind became adrift in a slowly churning sea of void. There was nothing here, and she was without form, without need, without self…

 

“Kaiya.”

 

The voice reached her like the beam of a lighthouse, like a hand reaching out and inviting her back to shore. “Hai…”

 

“Go back to the orphanage, Kaiya. Back to your first morning there…”

 

As soon as the suggestion was made, the void around her shifted, images solidifying in the churning mass. She took form, her small hands hard at work with a pencil and napkin on a wooden table. She knew that table well…but at the same time, it was new to her, yet to become familiar…

 

_She hadn't slept at all the night before. After they brought her in, she begged to stay with the little blond baby; she didn't even know his name, but something about him made her want to look after him, protect him. They convinced her to go to her own dormitory only after promising she could come back this morning after breakfast._

 

_While she waited for the meal to begin, she doodled on a napkin. The pencil she'd swiped from the front desk felt odd in her right hand, but she worked slowly, drawing the lines of some kanji characters she couldn't get out of her head. She was so focused on her project that she didn’t notice someone come up behind her until they spoke._

 

“ _Fuu…maki?”_

 

_Whirling around, she came face to face with a boy, maybe a little older than her, with pale hair and round glasses. She held up the napkin in front of his nose. "Hello! Can you read these?"_

 

_"Well…yes," he answered, taking the napkin gingerly from her. "It says 'Fuumaki'…"_

 

_She grinned widely. "Oh good! I don't think this is my writing hand - it feels so weird…" She considered her right hand like it was a strange, foreign artifact, then shrugged. "But my left one is broken - that's what the ladies in the hats said. Might as well use this one, why else would we have two? Want to sit with me?"_

 

_The boy blinked and nodded, sitting across from her. Kaiya started sketching out characters again._

 

_"Ano…" She looked up when he spoke. "Did something happen to your head, too?"_

 

_"Oh, this?" She pointed to the bandages wrapped around her head. "I don't really know how it happened…the ladies in the hats said something fell on me. But I can't remember what…" Her small face fell as she spoke, her voice growing softer._

 

_"That happened to me, too!" the boy said, smiling. Kaiya's eyes widened with curiosity and she lifted her head. "My head was injured when Mother found me. I don't remember anything before here."_

 

_"Mother?" she asked, the word feeling odd on her tongue. "You mean your Okaa-san?"_

 

_"Oh, no," the boy waved his hands in front of him. "Mother - she's the one with the light hair." He pointed toward a cluster of wardens, one of whom wore a kind smile and glasses. "She's a lot nicer than most of the others," he whispered._

 

_"Oh - good to know!" Her face brightened. "I'm Kaiya - what's your name?"_

 

_"The wardens named me Kabuto," he answered._

 

_Kaiya smiled at him once more. "Nice to meet you, Kabuto-kun. Thanks for being my first friend here!"_

 

Without warning, she was jolted out of the orphanage, no longer a child but her seventeen-year-old self - and in front of her, instead of a boy, was a young man with the same hair and eyes. She stared, unable to believe or trust what she’d just seen - no, what she’d just  _lived._ She’d been at the table, could still feel the scratch of the unpolished wood against her forearms, the itch of her left hand in its cast. “What the hell was that?” 

 

“A memory,” Kabuto told her, onyx eyes shining with excitement, a smile playing on his lips. “Of your first day at the orphanage - the day we met.”

 

Kaiya shook her head. “No…no, it was a genjutsu, you planted that…”

 

“It wasn’t an illusion, Kaiya,” he insisted. “It’s a type of mind-altering technique, similar to Yamanaka clan jutsu. It’s meant to pull specific memories that may have been buried or repressed - memories you might not even be aware you have.”

 

Kaiya shrank back, panting as though she’d just run a marathon. “No - you’re trying to trick me, that wasn’t…”

 

“Why would I lie about this?” he asked. “Really - what do I get out of tricking you into believing that we were once friends?”

 

She tried to come up with an answer, an explanation - but her mind was clouded by what she’d just seen and felt.

 

“I’ll prove it to you,” he said, leaning forward and taking her face in his hands. “I’ll take you to a memory you know you have - you’ll see, I’ve been with you for longer than you realize.”

 

Again he made the hand signs, again there was no where for her to run. Her protests fell on deaf ears, then went silent as she was returned to that floating state of nothingness.

 

“Go back a few years, Kaiya - to your Chunin Exams. To the preliminary round.”

 

_She was five years younger, standing with her teammates in the tower at the center of the Forest of Death. Like them, she was exhausted, but proud; they'd made it! They'd passed two rounds despite being rookies, and now they'd prove themselves in the third._

 

_But…a preliminary set of matches? After they'd just spent five days scurrying through the Forest of Death? Someone nearby murmured that this hadn't happened in over a decade. She tried to listen to the chatter around her, glean some more of an explanation, and in doing so nearly missed the announcement of her own name._

 

“… _versus Fuumaki Kaiya!”_

 

_Kaiya's head shot up. They were starting the first match already, and it was her? Who was her opponent? How’d she miss that announcement?!_

 

“ _I forfeit the match,” called a male voice from the crowd of candidates. Kaiya spun around, trying to locate the source of the voice, but all she saw was a sea of faces only marginally more familiar than they'd been a week ago._

 

_The proctor made a note on his clipboard. “Fuumaki Kaiya wins by default and will go on to the third round,” he said in a bored tone. “Next up…”_

 

Kaiya gasped as the world came rushing back once more. That…that  _was_ a memory. She knew it well - nothing had been out of place. She’d missed half the announcement, never heard her would-be opponent’s name, only knew that it was a boy and that he wouldn’t be moving on in the exams. She never even tried to find out who it had been; the other preliminaries quickly took away her attention, and by the end of the day, she was preoccupied with thoughts of her final rounds. 

 

“That was you?” she breathed, lifting her eyes to his face. “You were the one who forfeited?”

 

“I was a spy in Konoha for several years,” he told her. “I took the Chunin Exams many times in order to gather information about the villages’ Shinobi. That was the first year I participated - I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw you there, too!” This time when he reached for her cheek, she was too shocked to pull away. “You had grown so beautiful…and now you see: this isn’t a trick. These are _your_ memories - I’m just helping you find them.” 

 

He pulled back and again went through the hand signs. She didn’t try to fight it this time…

 

_Her steps slowed as she approached the faded beige tents, chewing her lip and fighting the sudden urge to run in the other direction. She could hear the moans and cries from here - grown-ups and kids, old and young, boy and girl…their voices created a cacophony of pain and suffering, a sound that spoke to her most base instincts. This was a bad place, she shouldn’t be here!_

 

_But she had to go in. She had a message from Keiri-san for Mother, and this bag of supplies was really important! After rocking back and forth on her feet for a few seconds, she pushed forward with a small whimper, repeating the message to herself and clutching the bag before her like a shield._

 

_As soon as she passed through the tent flap, the smell hit her. Acrid, metallic…she nearly gagged at the first breath of it, had to cover her mouth for a moment to get her bearings. She tried not to look around too much at the people, at the gaping wounds and missing limbs, at their wide, terrified eyes and gaunt faces, and instead sought a familiar face. There - ash-grey hair, round glasses - “Kabuto-kuuun!”_

 

_Kabuto looked up as she came dashing toward him. “Kaiya-chan?”_

 

_His hands were hovering over a man’s arm, glowing with a pale green light. Kaiya slowed, her eyes wide, transfixed by the sight. “What’re you doing?”_

 

“ _Healing,” he answered, focusing back on his task. “Mother taught me a little medical ninjutsu - I’m using it to help people!”_

 

_Kaiya’s mouth formed an astonished ‘oh;’ for a moment, she stood there watching him, seeing the deep cut on the man’s pale white arm slowly shrink and close. “How’d you do that? Can I do it too? I wanna help!”_

 

_Kabuto smiled and guided her away when he was finished. “Maybe - we’ll ask Mother.”_

 

“ _Oh!” Kaiya half-jumped at the name. “I got a message for Mother from Keiri-san! An’ these are some things she wanted!”_

 

“ _Well, we better find her, then!”_

 

_Kaiya happily followed him through the tent, no longer scared of the sights and sounds and smells, though she still tried not to breathe too deeply. Kabuto was here - it was all going to be okay._

 

The memory faded, but when she saw Kabuto’s face, the feelings of familiarity and comfort remained. The medical tents…he was right. She’d hated them; they gave her nightmares, showed her the ugly truth that while the big war was officially over, battles still happened. People still got hurt, and the defenseless got the worst of it. But seeing Kabuto helping them with ninjutsu…it had inspired something in her, something that turned into her reason for joining the Academy in the first place.

 

“Well?”

 

“You were my friend,” she murmured, still caught in the throws of recollection. “I felt safe with you…”

 

There was more - she saw his young face comforting her when her short-term memory failed; giving her an encouraging nod when she went to tell Mother about the warden who was neglecting Naruto; heard his laughter as they played together; felt the warmth of his arm around her when she had a nightmare, reassuring her that she was okay, she was safe, there was nothing to fear. Caught up in the memories, her chest tightened and her eyes began to sting. There was no jutsu at work right now - she remembered him…missed him.

 

“You left,” she whispered, a lump in her throat. “You and Mother…”

 

She remembered that night now, too - the night she said goodbye to Kabuto. No jutsu was needed to pull the memory; it came to her with painful ease.

 

_She stood with the rest of the kids, all of them out of bed after hours because they’d heard the same rumor: Mother was leaving them. Kaiya didn’t understand. Why would Mother leave? Where was she going? She was coming back, right? No matter who she asked, no one had answers for her - so she just followed the crowd as they scrambled outside for one last goodbye._

 

_Then she saw Kabuto step forward and join Mother as she walked away._

 

_At first, Kaiya was confused. Why was Kabuto walking away? They were all supposed to stay together as a group; it was way past lights out, after all! But the other wardens, Keiri and Kanpu, didn’t stop him. Urushi yelled after him, demanding to know why he was leaving, too; and that was when Kaiya realized what was happening._

 

_No. No, he couldn’t go! Who would she go to when she had a nightmare? Who would sneak into the orphanage’s small library with her during playtime to read more books? Who was going to help her look after Naruto and the other babies?_

 

_Her feet carried her across the lawn before she was even aware of moving; slamming into Kabuto’s back, she locked her small arms around his waist and held fast._

 

“ _You can’t go,” she insisted, her face buried in his shirt. “You can’t! I won’t let you!”_

 

_Kabuto turned and tried to gently dislodge her, but she just readjusted her grip. “Kaiya-chan, you have to go back!”_

 

“ _NO!” An idea burst into her head and she looked up at him. “I’ll go with-”_

 

_He clamped a hand over her mouth before the words made it out. “No, Kaiya-chan,” he hissed, his onyx eyes wide behind his glasses. For a second, he looked almost frightened, and that shocked her into silence. Quickly, his face relaxed into a smile and he took his hand back. “You have to look after everyone for me, okay?”_

 

“ _But…when are you coming back?”_

 

_He hesitated. “I…don’t know.”_

 

_Her lower lip trembled and she clung to him again. “I don’t want you to go…”_

 

“ _Hey…” He embraced her gently, patting her head. “I promise…I’ll always look out for you, okay? Even if I’m not around. So go on back - look out for the others, and I’ll look out for you.”_

 

_Hiccuping and fighting back her tears, she slowly pulled away and nodded._

 

“ _Now go on,” he said, nudging her back toward the orphanage. “It’s way past lights out!”_

 

Her cheeks were wet. As though it had happened just a moment ago, she felt the terrible loss of a person who’d been her anchor when the world was nebulous, whom she’d relied on when she couldn’t trust her own memory. He’d been there to hold her hand and introduce her to her new life after she’d lost everything about her old one. It was only for a few months, yet now that she remembered it, it felt like a lifetime.

 

“I remember you,” she whispered, her voice hoarse as though she’d been crying. Another tear fell down her cheek. “I remember…how did I forget…”

 

“Traumatic head injury,” Kabuto stated softly. “Your memory was shoddy for a while afterward. You ran messages in order to exercise it - Mother’s idea, actually. She always regretted that she couldn’t help restore our memories.”

 

“Our…” She searched his face. “You were hurt too…”

 

“I was,” he nodded, cupping her face and wiping her tears with his thumbs. “You remember that now…”

 

“You left,” she continued, her voice catching in her throat. “Why did you leave…”

 

He gazed into her eyes, his own seeming at once tired, sad, and clouded by memories. “I did it for you.”

 

“What?”

 

Kabuto sighed and dropped his head. “There’s an organization in Konoha - very secretive, known only to those who deal directly with them. Think Anbu, except they aren’t constrained by ninja law and answer to no one but themselves. Mother was part of it - a spy. She got herself out, but that life…it’s not so simple to just leave. They found her at the orphanage, and they threatened to stop the village’s funding unless she worked for them again.”

 

Kaiya’s head spun. Mother, the kind warden who’d showered all of the children with love, had been a spy…there was an organization in Konoha no one knew about… “But…the Hokage-”

 

“The Third Hokage didn’t care,” Kabuto spat. “Either that or he was a complete imbecile who knew nothing. Believe me, the organization had no qualms about snatching children away whenever they needed new recruits, and the orphanage was the perfect reaping ground. When Mother was there, she managed to slow them down…but then they found her. They made her a deal: If she came back to them and the other wardens kept their mouths shut, funding would be restored - not just for that one year, but indefinitely - and they’d only take one child. However…they’d double the funding if that child was you, Kaiya.”

 

Her eyes widened, her mind blank with shock. “Why me?”

 

A wistful look came over his face. “You were exceptional even back then, you know. Your natural speed, your resilience, your clever mind…at the time, I thought that was why they’d picked you out. I didn’t know the truth then - I only knew that I didn’t like them threatening Mother and talking about you like some commodity to be bought or sold. So I volunteered to be the child they took. The orphanage vowed silence on the matter and got to keep their funding…and Root got their spy.”

 

_Root…_ the word lodged itself in her mind, bringing with it an inexplicable dread that chilled her veins. Did such a group exist in her village? She couldn’t believe it. It went against everything she’d been taught - Konoha was founded to put an  _end_ the practice of sending children to battle. The village was formed on a dream of finding another way to live that didn’t rely on constant warfare.

 

Yet…the wars hadn’t stopped, and even when they were declared over, there were still battles. She’d seen the outcomes in those tents as a child - ninja and civilians alike suffering the consequences of violence. So was it really a stretch to believe that an organization like the one Kabuto described actually existed?

 

Kabuto reached out and brushed aside a lock of hair from her face, the touch bringing her back to the present. “So you see…I kept my promise. I’ve been looking out for you all these years, just like I said I would.”

 

The reminder of their goodbye brought fresh tears to her eyes. Her heart broke for him, for the kind boy who only ever wanted to help people…and for the person he’d become, jaded, haunted, barely recognizable. But right now, she could still see a glimmer of his old, gentle self, and she wanted to cling to it like a lifeline.

 

Kaiya leaned forward until her forehead touched his shoulder, overwhelmed by a wave of grief. Kabuto stiffened when she first made contact, but then brought his arms around her, stroking her hair like he used to when they were children.

 

After a few moments, he gently pushed her away and took a kunai from his pack.

 

“I’m asking you to trust me, Kaiya,” he said, holding the knife before him. “Trust me like you once did. I am not trying to trick you.”

 

With a quick slice, the ropes binding her arms fell to the ground. Kaiya rubbed her sore wrists and carefully rotated her shoulders, working out the stiffness in her arms and back. For a moment, the only sounds in the cave were a wind from outside and her own joints cracking. Little by little, the fog lifted from her mind; emotion seem to drain out of her, leaving her feeling empty and vulnerable, but able to think a little more clearly.

 

She was in a cave, alone, with Kabuto - and old friend or not, he was currently a known associate of Orochimaru. Yet as she stood up and took a few experimental steps, he made no move to stop her. She could leave. She  _should_ leave - find her way back to Jiraiya and Naruto, warn them of Orochimaru’s presence. There was an exit, an opening in the earthen walls hidden by shadows…but looking back at his sitting form, she knew she couldn’t leave just yet. 

 

He only looked up when she crouched back down in front of him; she couldn’t tell if he was surprised or not that she hadn’t just made a run for it.

 

“What happened to you?” she asked softly. “After you left…how did you end up with Orochimaru?”

 

A cloud came over his eyes. “Just because you dedicate your life to the village doesn’t mean the village will thank you,” he said bitterly. “I was a good spy. I followed every order, took on every mission I was given without question. I did whatever was necessary to get the job done, even if it repulsed me. It didn’t matter what happened to me, I told myself. I was helping the village. I was helping Mother. I was helping you. But apparently, I was  _too_ good. I learned too much…and so rather than allow me to come home and put that life behind me, which was what I wanted, what I was promised…they marked me for death.” 

 

Kaiya sat frozen in shock. No. That made no sense. Konoha would never do something like that.

 

_A few minutes ago, you thought Konoha wouldn’t turn a blind eye to the orphanage…_

 

“The best part?” Kabuto continued. “They didn’t send just any old assassin for me - no, that would have been too kind.” His face twisted into a frightening mask of grief and rage. “They sent _Mother_ to do it.” 

 

Horror kept her rooted in place. Somehow, she could already guess at the ending of this tale, but she rebelled against it; no, this was too much, it wasn’t possible…

 

“She didn’t recognize me,” he said, looking down at his hands. “Long-term brainwashing…they sent her pictures of me over time, only they weren’t actually me. By the time she saw me again, she thought I was someone else. She had no idea that the person she was sent to kill was…” His voice cracked, and for a moment he almost looked near tears. “I killed her before I realized who she was. When I recognized her, I tried…but she didn’t know me, and there was nothing I could do…”

 

Kaiya felt nauseous. She and Kabuto had been close as kids, but Mother…the woman was his world. To him, she may as well have been his actual mother; no one who saw them together could deny that she loved him, and he, her. She was the one who taught him medical ninjutsu, who gave him his name.

 

He’d been forced to kill her in self defense…all because he volunteered for a life which had been meant for Kaiya.

 

What could she say to him? What was there to say that could make any of this better, somehow? She felt guilt over Yuuma’s murder, but Kabuto…she couldn’t even begin to fathom what this had done to him.

 

“It wasn’t Konoha,” she whispered, trying to make sense of it all. “It was this organization…it wasn’t Konoha…”

 

He scoffed. “But the people who make up Root are Konoha Shinobi. The group was sanctioned by the Hokage.”

 

“Is that why…” She swallowed, forcing down the bile in her throat. “Is that why you joined Orochimaru? To get revenge on Konoha for…”

 

“Perhaps,” he mused. “In part, maybe. But the truth is…that wasn’t on my mind when I met him. He found me shortly after…that. He warned me that Root would keep coming after me, told me the truth about Mother. He was honest with me when no one else was. And then he gave me a choice: I could run scared, always looking over my shoulder…or I could create a new life for myself, one of my own making. I wouldn’t be anyone’s tool, and I would invent my own identity rather than have one imposed upon me. He told me his vision of a village where there were no limits, where everyone was free to realize their potential without censure. He’s the one who encouraged me to push beyond what I thought was possible.”

 

He shook his head. “But if you want the real reason I chose him…I suppose it’s because for the first time since leaving the orphanage, I was being treated like a human being. Not as a weapon or a tool, but as a person with a mind of my own and the free will to choose my own path.”

 

She could understand that. If it had been her…if she’d been the one alone, hurt and betrayed by the people she’d pledged herself to…would she have chosen someone like Orochimaru, too? She didn’t want to think so - but she’d never have guessed that the Kabuto she’d known would, either.

 

“I know what you see when you look at him, Kaiya,” Kabuto said. “You see what the village has told you he is: A traitor. A murderer. A monster. The truth is, his experiments helped Konoha win wars. His work made the sort of advances in ninjutsu that put the village on top. But during peace time, he was considered a liability because he acted outside of the village’s purview. See, the village only has use for what it can control - anything else is far too dangerous.” He looked back up at her. “That’s why they lie to you, too. They know that if you knew your heritage, your true potential…they’d no longer be able to control you.”

 

Kaiya’s eyes widened slightly, her blood pumping faster through her veins. Without realizing it, she leaned toward him. “Why not?”

 

“Because you’re one of the last descendants of a nearly extinct clan,” he replied. “And the daughter of a village hero.”

 

Her brows furrowed; her head shook from side to side. “My parents were refugees…”

 

“And who told you that?” Kabuto challenged. “The Hokage? The Elders? They lied to you. Your name - Fuumaki? I actually gave it to you unintentionally. I misread those characters you were writing on your first day, Kaiya. You weren’t writing _fuu_ , but _kaze -_ same character, different reading. And the two weren’t supposed to go together. You were writing parts of your parents’ names - Uzu _maki_ and Nami _kaze._ ”

 

For a second, she stared at him, unable to wrap her head around what he said. Uzumaki, the extinct clan…and  _Namikaze?_ He couldn’t possibly mean…

 

As the realization dawned in her eyes, Kabuto nodded. “Your father was the Four-”

 

“No.” Kaiya interrupted him before he could finish, backing up toward the wall. “This is ridiculous. How would you know any of this?”

 

Kabuto grabbed her arm as she tried to rush past him. “I know this is a lot to take in, but I’m telling you the truth. You have to listen to me-”

 

“No, actually, I don’t!” She yanked her arm back and stormed toward the exit. “This is insane. I’m insane for even being here!”

 

Kabuto blocked her and put his hands on her shoulders. “They really have you brainwashed, don’t they? You can’t accept that you’re anything but what they’ve allowed you to believe-”

 

“I’m not some - some-”

 

“ _You’re the daughter of the Fourth Hokage!_ ” 

 

There it was - the most ludicrous claim yet. She felt like an idiot. How had she allowed herself to be taken in by any of this?

 

“The memories,” she muttered. “They weren’t real, were they? You just…you’re trying to get my guard down, to…”

 

“To what?” He shook her, impatience seeping into his voice. “Why would I lie to you about any of this? Those were _your_ memories, Kaiya. I couldn’t have planted them even if I wanted to.” He lowered his voice to a calmer timbre, his eyes pleading with her from behind the glasses. “I am not trying to trick you. I’m trying to _liberate_ you, to give you the choice I was given. Why can’t you believe any of this?” 

 

Kaiya paced and raked her hands through her hair, trying to think. She wanted to believe her old friend, but was he really? Could she really believe anything that came from an enemy spy, no matter their past connection?

 

She had to get out of here. Every nerve in her body screamed at her to start running and never look back. Once she was clear, once she was back home, she could check into his claims. She didn’t have to take his word for it one way or the other.

 

“You want to know why I can’t believe any of this?” she asked, not pausing in her pacing. “Because it _makes no sense._ Yondaime had only one child, and that child was found dead after the attack. Everyone knows that. If - and this is a _big_ if - I am who you say I am, why would it be a secret, even from me?” 

 

“I told you,” he repeated. “Because they can better control you when you have no influence. You’re an intel person; you know that power isn’t just about jutsu. If it was known that you were the daughter of Konoha’s greatest hero, you’d have political leverage - and the Elders of Konoha don’t like that kind of competition.”

 

It seemed they could agree on one thing at least: the Elders were assholes. “But the Third…”

 

“Either thought it was for your own protection or was just like those other old idiots,” Kabuto drawled. “But it’s not the logistics that bother you. Not really.” His voice became softer, sympathetic. “I think I get it. They allowed you to grow up believing that you were _nothing._ You believe it so adamantly now that the very idea that it isn’t true seems ludicrous, even repulsive.” 

 

With each statement he gradually came closer to her, until he could easily reach for her. She let him come close, her eyes locked onto his, wide with vulnerability and uncertainty. She couldn’t possibly be…that. She wasn’t special. She was nobody…just Kaiya.

 

_Or is that just what you’ve been told from the start?_

 

“I don’t regret volunteering for Root in your place,” Kabuto murmured, brushing her cheek with his knuckles. “They would have ruined you - stomped out that fire of yours, turned you into a mindless machine. But I can see the damage the village has done to you, too. You are wasted there, Kaiya. There is so much for you to learn - do you think that Konoha would allow you to visit the home of your ancestors? Of course not…but not everyone is bound by politics. There are people out there who would help you find other Uzumaki survivors, who could teach you about your heritage.”

 

“People like Orochimaru?” she muttered, suspicion making her draw back - but only slightly.

 

“People like me,” he corrected, cupping her face. “Come with me, Kaiya. We can go anywhere we want, be anyone we want! It’ll be just like when we were kids and we’d talk about seeing the places we read about, but now no one is holding us back. Together, we’re strong enough to survive, to thrive! You know that if you stay in Konoha, they’ll suffocate you. The minute you become too powerful for their liking they’ll snuff you out. Come with me - be who you are _meant_ to be.” 

 

Kaiya’s head spun. “You - want me to run away with you?”

 

“If that’s what it takes,” he said.

 

“Why?”

 

He blinked, genuine confusion creasing his forehead. “You really have to ask?”

 

Before she could answer, he leaned down and pressed his lips to hers. She was so shocked by the sudden move, by the soft, cool touch of his mouth, that she could barely breathe. He dragged his lips along hers, his thumbs massaging her cheeks and coaxing her to respond. She did, but more out of reflex than desire; he took it as an invitation to deepen the kiss, probing his tongue along the seam of her lips as his hands held her head in place.

 

What was happening? What was he doing - what was  _she_ doing?! This wasn’t right - this wasn’t right! With a yelp, she shoved him hard enough that she pushed herself back, bangs falling into her face as she gasped for air. 

 

“I’m sorry,” Kabuto exclaimed, holding his hands up. “I shouldn’t have done that. I know this is a lot to take in - but do you understand now? Why I’m trying to help you?”

 

Kaiya’s hand drifted to her lips, where she could still feel the pressure of his kiss. She was light-headed and nauseous, her mind a jumble of half-formed questions and  _oh god oh god oh god…_

 

“I know you’re scared,” Kabuto said gently. “I was too. But you’re not alone, Kaiya. I’m here. I’ll help you through this…if you’ll let me.”

 

She said nothing. Her voice had abandoned her, along with most rational thought. All she could think was:  _this is wrong…this is wrong…_

 

Kabuto approached her again, moving slowly as though she were an easily spooked wild animal. “I have to go now - just for a little while,” he added quickly when her met with her wide-eyed gaze. “Until you decide, I can’t be gone from Orochimaru-sama’s side for too long. He’ll suspect something…and I don’t want him coming to look for you.”

 

That jogged something in her memory - something about Orochimaru wanting her chakra, her blood… “What does he…”

 

“There’s still a lot to tell you,” Kabuto said. “I will be back as soon as I can, and I’ll answer whatever questions I can. For now…I need you to stay here, where it’s safe.”

 

She backed up, shaking her head. He was leaving her here? “What - no -”

 

“Just for a little while,” he repeated. “I can’t protect you from him if I don’t know where you are, do you understand that? You’re in no shape to leave just yet. You’ll be better soon, but until then, please…” He gently took her shoulders. “Trust me.”

 

He leaned down again, but she tucked her chin, curling into herself and shutting her eyes tight. He pressed his lips to her forehead instead, lingering for a few seconds before pulling away. “I’ll come back for you.”

 

He flickered out of the cave, leaving her alone with the lantern. There was a sound of rumbling earth; with a sudden rush of panic, Kaiya ran toward the exit, but after a couple of twists and turns she came up to a solid mud wall.

 

“Hey!” She pounded her fists against the wall to no avail. “Let me out! _Kabuto!_ Let me _out!”_

 

He was gone. She screamed herself hoarse before sinking to the ground, wrapping her arms around her knees and letting out the confused, terrified cries that had been building in her chest the whole time. 


	14. Healing Touch

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Made a minor fuck-up and posted the NEXT chapter before this one. Oops.

Tsunade leaned back on the couch of the hotel room, eyes unfocused, head beginning to pound. Her chat with Jiraiya the day before had left her…unsettled. It wasn’t so much the content of the conversation as the ease of it; how long had it been since she’d spoken to either of her old teammates? Seeing him again, falling back into that easy banter they’d always shared…it scared her how simple and natural it was. She’d cut herself off, after all. She’d been the one to leave, to  _run away_ as that redhead had put it. 

 

Her amber eyes drifted up to trail Shizune as she puttered about the room. The girl could never sit still for long; she always had to be doing something. Tonton followed her like an imprinted duckling, occasionally “buu-ing” in response to her stream-of-consciousness talk.

 

“Naruto-kun is really working hard,” Shizune commented, folding one of Tsunade’s freshly laundered shirts. “Apparently, he’s not accepting any help in learning the jutsu - Kaiya-san said he’d banned her!”

 

Normally, Tsunade would’ve snapped at her to stop prattling, especially given the headache she was nursing, but she just didn’t have the energy.

 

“Kaiya-san is actually quite nice,” Shizune continued. “I got to talk with her a little yesterday afternoon. She and Naruto-kun seem really close.”

 

Over the past few days, Shizune hadn’t been the only one to spy on the kid’s training. Tsunade had stopped by once, a couple days after making the bet with Naruto. He was struggling with the jutsu, his hands burned from chakra exposure; she could tell even from meters away how much he must have strained himself already.

 

Kaiya…she knelt before the boy and took his hand, admonishing him for pushing himself too hard while gently rubbing salve into his palms. What had she said?  _It’s not worth hurting yourself_ …ironic, coming from her. However, the sheer love, concern, and - dare she say - exasperation she showed him…it was such a familiar sight to Tsunade that she’d had to turn away, her heart stinging. 

 

Shizune slowed her folding, worrying her bottom lip before speaking again. “And really…she’s right, you know. As Hokage…you’d have the power to make real changes in the village, the kind you always wanted to see. You should consider the offer, Tsunade-sama.”

 

Consider the offer…she wasn’t sure she could, or that she’d even have to. That kid wasn’t going to master the Rasengan in a week, after all. And the idea of  _her_ as Hokage, when others far more deserving…who’d actually  _wanted_ that position…when they were…

 

She reflexively reached for the sake bottle as the pain migrated from her head to her chest - but her hand found only air. “ _Shizune_ .” 

 

Her assistant froze at her sharp voice, but turned around with a stern expression. “No, Tsunade-sama. Forgive me, but you’ve had enough. You need to think about Jiraiya-sama’s offer, and you should do so with a sober mind.”

 

“Tch!” Tsunade rose from the couch and headed for the door. Shizune knew better than to stop her, but her disapproving gaze followed her out of the room. They both knew where Tsunade was headed, and the older woman knew the look of disappointment her assistant wore because of it. Well, so be it. Let her feel let down. After all, that’s all she did to anyone - she let people down. Nawaki…Dan…her own family and sensei…she let all of them down. So why bother trying anymore?

 

She hated Jiraiya for bringing those two kids here. There was no doubt in her mind that he knew  _exactly_ what she’d see when she looked at them: the boy with big dreams who wouldn’t take ‘no’ for an answer…and the young woman with lofty ideas who believed that there was something worth fighting for. Tsunade knew she’d been overtly harsh with her, but someone had to warn her - someone had to make her realize that letting her entire purpose revolve around other people would only leave her an empty shell when they were gone. 

 

The real kicker was that that girl had come all this way to find  _her_ when she could probably just heal herself. But what good would that do? She’d just go back into battle, get herself killed for some stupid cause or other, and the world would be no different for it. 

 

Without realizing it, Tsunade wandered not to the nearest bar, nor even to the nicest or the cheapest - but out of town entirely. Her feet carried her along a forest path until she heard the sounds of someone training intensely. When she looked up from the ground, she gasped.

 

Before her lay a clearing where just two days ago, a forest had been. Sure, there were still some trees, but they were mangled trunks marred with spiral imprints. In the center stood Naruto, focusing intently on his right hand as he molded chakra into it with his left. The pale blue chakra swirled over his palm, a chaotic mass at first, but little by little, it tightened…took on form…

 

No longer able to contain and shape the spinning mass, Naruto pushed it against a broken trunk with a loud cry. The force of the chakra splintered the already frayed wood, sending it flying in all directions around the clearing. The blond groaned in frustration, letting out a curse - clearly not satisfied with the results.

 

Unnoticed by him, Tsunade stood in shock. In just a few days…he’d already progressed this much?

 

She might have to consider that offer after all…and the realization made it suddenly hard to breathe. Images of her beloveds flashed through her head, of their smiles and their dreams and determination…How could she ever approach what had been their dream, what should have been their lives? How could she even dare to imagine herself taking what should have been their places? Her face on the mountain, when it should be their faces…when she’d done nothing but run for years…

 

Her chest tightened painfully, her stomach turned, the world around her grew disorienting and cold as every cell in her body tried to retreat inward. She had to get out of there, had to run away again! Before Naruto could notice he had company, she flickered away, heading back toward town. She needed a drink,  _badly -_ something to dull her senses before this maelstrom took her over. 

 

* * *

 

The hideout was a good twenty kilometers outside of town, and temporary at best. The tunnel that led to the main room wasn’t even lit, requiring Kabuto to use a small torch to illuminate his path. He took his time returning to his master, his mind turning over his time with Kaiya. Closing his eyes for a moment, he indulged in the memory of her lips against his, her soft skin and hair under his fingers… Already he longed to return to her, could hardly wait to lead her into their life together, could picture it just on the edge of his mind. But he had to be patient. He  _was_ patient; he just wondered when the time would come that he no longer needed to hold himself back. 

 

When Kabuto did enter the dank, dark room, Orochimaru was already awake and sitting up. The Sannin’s voice slithered across the room, his narrowed golden eyes following him as he began preparing a new dose of medicine. “Where were you?”

 

“Scouting,” he replied smoothly. “Tsunade-hime is indeed in town, and seems to be settled in for a few days at least. She travels with one person - an assistant - but there’s someone else in town you should be aware of.”

 

“And that is?”

 

“The other Sannin: Jiraiya.”

 

Orochimaru’s lips stretched into an amused grin. “Well, well…who would have thought this would turn into such a reunion?”

 

“As nostalgic as I’m sure this is for you,” Kabuto drawled, “I urge you to consider your current condition.”

 

“That’s why you’re here,” Orochimaru replied lazily, watching him work. “I didn’t choose you merely for your medical prowess, after all.”

 

Kabuto’s lips quirked upward at the almost-compliment. “Maybe, but even I’m not so bold as to assume that I can take on two Sannin at once.”

 

Orochimaru huffed and glanced to the side like a child who’d been told they wouldn’t play his favorite game. “Very well. Make sure we aren’t interrupted - but do not kill Jiraiya. Not this time. I’d like to save that honor for myself, after my arms are healed.”

 

“Hai, Orochimaru-sama.”

 

An hour later, Kabuto slipped through the back entrance of a local club, silent and unseen by the workers. It was a busy night, which was perfect - everyone was too preoccupied to notice an unfamiliar face. He waited in the shadows until the bartender came to swap out dirty glasses for clean ones. As soon as the young man put down his tray, Kabuto severed his spinal chord at the base of his neck. It was the work of a moment to stash the body and perform the Transformation Jutsu on himself, taking on the man’s appearance just as a hostess popped her head into the room.

 

“Hey, you got those dishes yet?”

 

“Hai, coming,” he called, picking up a tray of clean glasses with one hand. With the other, he patted his pocket, where a small vial sat waiting. Strolling out into the main bar, he heard a loud, boisterous, male laugh - the sound of his next target.

 

* * *

 

The moon had long since set when Tsunade found herself politely tossed out of the bar. Closing at just two a.m….how ridiculous! Wasn’t this a famous tourist town? Shouldn’t they be open until the sun came back up?

 

Years of practice kept her steps steady as she slowly made her way back the inn. Shizune and Tonton were probably asleep already…the younger woman was such a killjoy at times. No sense of fun whatsoever. Also ridiculous; she was young, she was okay-looking, she should be living it up, celebrating her youth!

 

Of course, Tsunade knew exactly why Shizune was that way. It was because of her - because for whatever reason, she’d chosen to follow an old hag who used jutsu to cling to the semblance of youth, who wasted her fearsome reputation and family fortune on gambling and booze. Who ran away from her problems rather than facing them…

 

Dammit, why did bars have to close so early in this town?! Maybe if she was quiet enough when she got back to the inn, she could search the room and find where Shizune had stashed that bottle earlier…

 

By the time Tsunade returned to the dark room though, her only destination was the toilet. With every heave, she felt something leave her soul as well as her body; when she finally flushed the toilet and dragged herself to the sink, her cheeks were soaked in tears. The mirror showed the worn, empty face of a failure, mascara trailing from her bagged eyes, skin devoid of color or vibrancy.

 

This was who the village wanted to be Hokage?

 

After washing her face and rinsing out her mouth, Tsunade stumbled to her bed and began changing out of her clothes, only to pause when something fell from her obi. Bending down, she picked up the folded slip of paper, its smooth texture jogging her memory.

 

That’s right…someone had slipped this to her at the bar. At the time, she’d already been quite drunk, so she’d paid it little mind. Now, returning to the bathroom so she could turn on a light, she read the contents again with a more sober, if exhausted and emptied, mind.

 

Her eyes widened. Cold sobriety washed over her like a wave…and was then joined with hard resolve.

 

Shizune always kept a glass of water by her bedside. Tsunade emptied a small packet of powder into the beverage; the young woman needn’t be a part of this. This would keep her out for several hours at least - long enough for Tsunade to take care of business. For now, it would also give her time to sleep - time to prepare.

 

* * *

 

“Argh - come _on!”_

 

Naruto collapsed on the ground, desperately trying to catch his breath. His entire body hurt; he had no idea that it was possible to be so completely  _exhausted._ He couldn’t give up yet, though - not when he was so damn close! All around him, tree trunks bore the telltale spiral pattern of the jutsu he was trying to master; he just about had it, he could feel it in his fingertips…or could he feel his fingertips at all? 

 

_I’ve gotta…try…just one more time!_

 

His hands twitched at his sides, which confused him because his arms were supposed to be pushing him up. After a few more tries, he lay limp on the ground, staring up at the starry sky. Maybe…maybe he just needed a little break. It had to be pretty late, after all. And didn’t Kaiya always tell him something about doing stuff like this? Something like…if you keep doing the same stuff over and over and not changing…or was it that things were supposed to change?

 

“Ahhh, who cares?!” he groaned aloud. “I’ve gotta…get this jutsu down…for Kaiya-nee-chan…”

 

Even as he spoke, his eyes drifted shut, his mind floating into the land of sleep before he even finished the thought.

 

When he awoke, birds were singing and the sky was light. Turning over, he shivered; the fall air was brisk in the early morning, and he could just about see his breath.

 

“Guess I fell asleep out here,” he mused, rubbing the back of his neck. At least he could move again, though! He’d go back to the inn for a quick breakfast, then return and master that damn jutsu once and for all!

 

“Wait til I show Pervy Sage and Kaiya-nee-chan,” he muttered, climbing the stairs on jelly-like legs. “They’re gonna be so psyched!”

 

The room was quiet and dark when he arrived - but Jiraiya was still passed out on the floor.

 

“Ehh?” Naruto crossed his arms. “What the heck, Pervy Sage? Time to get up!”

 

Jiraiya didn’t stir. Actually…now that he took a good look, Naruto realized that he wasn’t even on a futon; he was just sprawled face-up on the floor, unmoving. Not snoring, either, which was also weird. Frowning, he crouched beside the man, peering intently at his face. A small trickle of drool trailed from the side of his mouth; when Naruto leaned in closer and placed a hand in front of his nose, like he’d been taught, he could just barely feel a weak, warm stream of breath.

 

Naruto shook his shoulder. Nothing. “Heyyy, Pervy Sage, c’mon…c’mon! What’re you doin’ still in bed? Get up already! I got somethin’ to show ya!”

 

After several more fruitless attempts, Naruto clenched his hands in his hair and let out a shout of frustration. “Fine! Be that way! I’ll just find Kaiya-nee-chan, then…”

 

He trailed off, looking around the room. Kaiya’s futon and bed linens were folded neatly near the wall; she must have gotten up early. Where would he even start to find her? She hadn’t said where she was going last time she left…or maybe he’d been too focused on his own training to notice if she did. Man, was he really that dense?

 

He tried to think like she would - after all, she was some sorta recon person, right? She must be good at finding people, so if he thought like her, maybe he could track her down!

 

“Hmm…” Naruto put his finger to his chin and examined her sleeping space. How could he tell when she’d last been here? Maybe he should try reading some of those mystery books she always had on her shelves…but that wouldn’t help him now. Under the open window, he spied her bag, which sat untouched. Did she usually take that with her? Or was it just her packs? Should he look inside? But…wasn’t there, like, some sorta unwritten law about never looking inside a girl’s bag?

 

What was he supposed to do?!

 

Tired though he was, the sudden need to find her gave Naruto a burst of frantic energy. He searched the town, ducking in and out of shops and restaurants, asking people if they’d seen a redhead…but the only lead he got was at the pub where they’d first met Tsunade and her assistant.

 

Wait! Tsunade! Maybe she or that other lady would know where Kaiya was. Yeah, yeah! The other lady - what was her name? Shizune? Shizune had been talking with her the other day, right? Pounding his fist in his hand, Naruto took off for the closest inn.

 

It took stopping into five inns and demanding if they had any blonde ladies with huge boobs as a guest before he finally got the right one. He didn’t even give a thought to why the innkeepers were so open about their guests with him - he didn’t care. He skidded in front of the door to Tsunade’s room and pounded on it.  
  


“Hey! Hey, obaa-chan! Open up!”

 

No answer. No, wait…when he took a break from pounding on the door, he did hear something. Pressing his ear to the wood, he made out the sound of something scratching against the door. And…what was that weird squealing noise?

 

“Can I help you, young man?”

 

Naruto nearly jumped out of his skin at the voice behind him. Whirling around, he came face to face with an older woman pushing a cart with cleaning supplies. “Oh, hey, d’you work here? I, uh-” He frantically tried to think like Kaiya again. What would she say in this situation? “I - um -”

 

“Locked yourself out?” supplied the old woman with a knowing smile.

 

“Ah - yeah!” Naruto rubbed the back of his neck with a wide, sheepish smile, sure that he must be starting to sweat. Why was lying so hard?! “Um…that’s exactly it…”

 

“Here you go,” the woman said, taking out a ring of keys from her obi and spending what felt like an hour sorting through them. “Allow me.”

 

Naruto thanked the old woman profusely when she got the door open, bowing repeatedly until she hobbled around the corner out of sight. Wiping his forehead in relief, he stepped into the room, almost forgetting for a moment why he was even there.

 

Then he was tackled to the floor by something small, round, and pink. “ _Buuuu!”_

 

“Ehhh?!” Naruto blinked up at the creature. It was a pig! Wait - that was right, didn’t Tsunade have a pet pig or something? “Hey, are you the old lady’s?”

 

“Buu!”

 

“Where is she? I gotta ask her somethin’!”

 

“Buu!”

 

Naruto let his head slam back to the floor. This was useless - clearly, this wasn’t the talking type of animal companion! The pig finally left his chest, scurrying to the one of the beds and then back again. “Buu! Buu buu!”

 

With a groan, Naruto got up and watched it scamper again to the bed - and then he saw its occupant, still asleep. Dark hair…that must be Shizune. Oh, crap! He could’ve woken her with all this noise…but wait, wasn’t that kind of the point? He needed her help, after all! Besides, that dumb pig was making so much noise that he was surprised she wasn’t already awake.

 

Wait… Naruto crept toward the bed and poked Shizune’s shoulder. Then again. And again. Then he shook her. “Heeey…Shizune-san…heeeey….”

 

Nothing - just like Jiraiya! Alarmed, Naruto looked all around the hotel room, not knowing what to do. Jiraiya was out cold, Shizune was out cold, Tsunade was no where to be seen, and neither was Kaiya…what the heck was going on?!

 

“Aw maaaan,” he groaned, hands clutching his hair. “I really gotta find Kaiya-nee-chan! She’d know what to do!”

 

The pig pawed insistently at his leg. “Buuu!”

 

“What? I don’t got any food for ya, ya know!”

 

“Buu!”

 

“What is it? I’m busy, can’t you see that?”

 

“Buuuuu!”

 

“Now how am I supposed to find Kaiya-nee-chan? Oh! I know!” He slammed his fist to his palm. “I’ll summon Gamakichi!”

 

One toad summons later, and Naruto was no closer to finding her than he’d been a moment before. “Whaddya mean, you can’t track her?!”

 

“What do I look like, a bloodhound?!” Gamakichi crossed his small arms. “An’ why’d ya call me for this? That pig’s been tryin’ ta help ya this whole time!”

 

Naruto blinked hard at the toad, then at the pig. “Eh?”

 

“What?” Gamakichi cocked his head to the side. “Ya didn’t know that pigs got a great sense o’ smell? Jeez, what kinda idiot are ya, anyway?”

 

“Hey!” Naruto pointed accusingly at his summons. “Who’re you callin’ an idiot, you - wait, what did you just say?”

 

He was pretty sure Gamakichi was rolling his eyes at him. “Pigs got great sniffers. Better than a dog’s, I hear. She’s been tryin’ ta tell ya as much.”

 

“…you speak Pig?”

 

“Look, if you’re lookin’ for someone, let the pig help ya out,” Gamakichi said with a dismissive wave. “I’m outta here!”

 

He poofed away, leaving Naruto to stare at Tonton. “Uh…so…can you help me, little piggy?”

 

The pig sighed in exasperation. “Buu.”

 

* * *

 

Kaiya sat with her head in her hands and her back to a wall. What could she believe? Was Kabuto who he said he was? He was a spy; spies lied. Yet what he’d shown her with that jutsu felt so  _real._ She felt as if she  _had_ known him once, had relied on him as much she now did on her own teammates…had missed him when he left. Her heart ached to think of what he’d been through, even as her mind insisted (albeit rather weakly) that he couldn’t be trusted. 

 

But…daughter of the Fourth Hokage?

 

She couldn’t believe it. She  _shouldn’t_ believe it - and not just because it came from Kabuto. In her attempts to learn about her own history, she’d heard the story many times: Yondaime did have a family - a wife, a child…but they both died in the Kyuubi attack. 

 

But…now that she thought about it, she wondered about that child. She’d never heard a name, nor an age; heck, she couldn’t even recall if it had been a boy or a girl. Why was that? She didn’t normally miss such details. Granted, she hadn’t really been trying to learn about some other kid who was dead, but still…was it her memory that was faulty, or did people just not know or not talk about it?

 

It didn’t mean anything, though. She wasn’t special. She was a nobody…she’d always been a nobody…

 

Yet weren’t there times, when she was alone with her thoughts, that she’d hoped? When she’d imagined that maybe…just maybe…she  _was_ somebody? Hadn’t she sometimes dreamed that her family was still out there, alive, missing her? Or that they’d been great heroes, or that she was just lost and they hadn’t found her yet? 

 

She’d always shut herself down. Life wasn’t a fairytale, after all. Most people weren’t born into so-called great families, and how often did long-lost children of rulers show up in orphanages?

 

And if she really was a Hokage’s daughter…why had no one ever told her? Why would the Elders, heck, the Third Hokage himself, keep this from her?

 

Such questions made the possibility solidify in her mind, until she was beginning to craft a story to answer them.  _No,_ she chastised herself.  _Don’t you dare even think about it. Don’t get your hopes up. Don’t try to imagine something that’s impossible._

 

She couldn’t help it. Once her mind had started rolling down that path, it only picked up speed. She saw Yondaime’s face in her mind, first as a stone carving in the side of a mountain, then as a photo from her old textbooks. He’d been blond and tan, but his eyes…if she allowed herself to think about it, they could be the same shape and color as her own. And if her mother was an Uzumaki…she strained to imagine a woman with her red hair. Was it long or short? Was the woman thin, curvy, muscular, what? For a second, Kaiya swore she saw a curtain of scarlet strands, felt the soft, worn fabric of a skirt or apron clutched in her fingers…but it was gone just as quickly as it had come, leaving her unsure of whether it had been a memory or something conjured by a desperate imagination.

 

She pounded her fists against the ground at her sides, the pressure in her chest threatening to burst if she didn’t recall _something._ _Anything,_ she begged, not sure whether it was herself or some elusive deity to whom she spoke. _Please, just give me SOMETHING!_

 

But there was nothing. No answer, no recollection of whoever her parents were. Her memory was as silent as the cave around her, and it threatened to drive her mad. Thirteen years, and still  _nothing!_ She hated it, hated that there was such a hole in her own history. She hated Kabuto for dangling such a possibility, for making her  _hope_ at all - and she hated herself for even considering it to be true! She just wanted to be back home, to tell Hikaru and Gorou all of this, have them anchor her in reality and help her sort through this mess. She wanted solid, real answers, information she could point to and say,  _Yes, THIS is real._ She wanted to go back to the orphanage and have the wardens tell her that no, there had never a Kabuto or a woman called “Mother,” so that she could neatly toss away everything the ash-haired nin had said. She wanted to get back to her normal life! 

 

She let out one more frustrated growl, her voice echoing against the earthen walls and making the candle flicker. With it, she let out as much of the gut-tangling frustration and desperation as she could, until her throat burned and her head finally felt a little less cluttered. Closing her eyes, she breathed deeply, focusing on the steady inhales and exhales; little by little, the whirlwind in her mind slowed and she began feeling more grounded, more clear…more in control of herself again.

 

Okay. Panicking over dubious information would get her nowhere. So long as she was trapped in this cave, she had no way of confirming or denying any of Kabuto’s claims, so there was no use getting so worked up about it. She needed to save her energy for if - when - he returned and figure out how to handle this situation. Wiping her eyes and pushing her hair back, she stood up and got to work.

 

It was unlikely that there was another way out of the cave, but she checked anyway, the movement and methodical search helping to keep other thoughts at bay. Using the candle, she examined the walls for cracks, even lit a bit of fabric torn from her shirt to see if the smoke would try to escape toward fresh air. Nothing. No weak spots, no animal tunnels…she was sealed in. But wait - there was something in the corner…a bag! Had Kabuto left that behind by accident? Kaiya hurried to it but was careful in opening it; she doubted he’d have left a booby-trapped bag when he seemed more interested in just keeping her in one place, but it didn’t hurt to be cautious. Maybe, just maybe, there were weapons inside, or tags, or anything she could use to get herself out!

 

What she found was a blanket, a full canteen of water, and a small supply of food pills wrapped in parchment. She sagged in disappointment. It hadn’t been left by accident, after all. If anything, Kabuto was looking out for her, making sure she had what she needed to be even a little comfortable for however long he was gone. That just made the situation worse, somehow. If he had left these things out of consideration, then how could she keep telling herself not to trust him, that he was the enemy, out to get her or the village? Did this mean that he really did care about her? If so…was he telling the truth? Or maybe the food and water were drugged, and he was just trying to lure her into a false sense of security.

 

The water didn’t smell off in any way. A few drops on her tongue didn’t taste strange or cause any numbness or tingling. There were plenty of drugs that were harder to detect, though…so as much as her throat begged for moisture, she set the water aside with the food pills, just in case.

 

Time passed. To keep herself occupied, she tried doing her chakra control exercises, then switched to physical exercise when intrusive thoughts kept disrupting her meditation. Slow katas helped focus her mind while preserving her energy; with no window to the outside world, she lost all sense of time.

 

Then the entire cave shook.

 

Kaiya froze mid-stance and looked toward the entrance, every sense on high alert. Was Kabuto back? Listening hard, she heard nothing coming from the blocked entrance. She crept down the corridor; the mud wall was still in place…

 

Something slammed into the wall on the other side; Kaiya flattened herself against the corridor, but only a small crack formed on her side. She listened hard; through the penetrating silence, she heard something through that crack.

 

“ - know, I’m trying!”

 

Her eyes widened. She knew that voice! “Naruto?!”

 

“Kaiya-nee-chan?! Hold on, I’ve almost got it! Um - ya might wanna stand back!”

 

She did. For a few seconds, all she heard was the sound of him straining to do something on the other side of the wall. Then he gave a loud shout.

 

“ _RASENGAN!”_

 

The wall exploded inward, forcing Kaiya to crouch down and cover her head as chunks of hardened mud flew past her. When the air cleared, she glanced back and blinked hard as bright sunlight assaulted her eyes.

 

“Kaiya-nee-chaaaan!”

 

A silhouette came running at her, barreling into her chest and nearly knocking her to the ground. Kaiya wrapped her arms around the figure, not even needing to look to know that it wore an orange jumpsuit and sported spiky blond hair. “Naruto! Oh, thank goodness…are you okay? How’d you find me?”

 

He pushed away and gave her an incredulous look. “Am  _I_ okay?! What the heck happened to you?!” 

 

What could she tell him? That Kabuto had shown her potentially dubious memories? That he’d captured her in order to…what was it that he really wanted, anyway? The kiss flashed through her mind, but she definitely didn’t want to tell Naruto about that.

 

Wait. Kabuto.  _Orochimaru!_ So caught up had she gotten in Kabuto’s claims that she’d almost forgotten what his presence even meant! 

 

“We have to find Tsunade,” she told Naruto, an urgent edge to her voice. “She’s in danger!”

 

“Buu?!”

 

Kaiya looked down at the strange squeal to see the squinty eyes of…Tsunade’s pet pig? The creature squealed at her again, pawing at her leg insistently. “Eh?”

 

“Oh, yeah,” Naruto said, rubbing his head with a grin. “She - I think it’s a she - helped me find you, ya know!”

 

“Oh…” Kaiya shook her head sharply as a dozen questions invaded her mind. “Nevermind. Can she help us find Tsunade? No, wait - we need Jiraiya. Orochimaru’s here, and he’s after Tsunade!”

 

“Eh?!”

 

“Buu!”

 

* * *

 

Their first stop was the inn, where Jiraiya continued to lay utterly unconscious. Kaiya unsealed some extra weapons packs from some scrolls in her bag while Naruto tried everything he could think of to wake the old man - but Jiraiya wouldn’t be roused. Shizune was their next target; Tonton the pig ran circles around their ankles as they tried to awaken the dark-haired young woman. Finally, Shizune groaned and slowly rolled over in her bed. “Tsunade…sama?”

 

Kaiya shook her shoulder again. “Shizune-san, please wake up! Tsunade’s in trouble!”

 

Shizune’s eyes popped open, but rather than shoot up in bed, she sluggishly attempted to prop herself up on her hands. “Wha…whereisshe…”

 

Kaiya and Naruto exchanged a worried glance; Tonton made anxious little noises at their feet.

 

“I think you were drugged,” Kaiya told her, helping her to sit up. “Naruto - get her some water, will you? But clean out that glass first, just in case!”

 

After a few minutes, Shizune became more lucid, but she could barely hold the cup on her own. “I don’t know where she is,” she told them. “She went out last night…drinking…but I went to bed before she got back…I should’ve…waited…”

 

“You didn’t know,” Kaiya assured her.

 

“I don’t think…I can do much,” Shizune said. “I can’t…feel my chakra…please…you have to help her…”

 

“We’ll find her,” Naruto announced. “Don’t you worry - I’m not letting her get killed when we still have that bet goin’ on!”

 

Kaiya chewed on her lip. She was with Naruto in spirit, but what could the two of them do? She couldn’t use ninjutsu, and even he’d admitted to her that the Rasengan he’d used to get her out wasn’t complete.

 

But sitting back and doing nothing was never an option.

 

“Shizune-san,” she began. “We’re going to take you back to our room - to Jiraiya. I think he was also drugged; if you can do anything for him, please do, and tell him what’s going on.”

 

She gave a weak nod. “What are you going to do?”

 

With a deep breath, Kaiya looked to Naruto. “We’re going to find Tsunade.”

 

* * *

 

Tsunade approached the clearing with every sense on high alert. This was the place and time, she was sure of it - now where was he?

 

A slight breeze ruffled her long, honey-colored bangs. She sniffed; no noticeable scent - not that he’d be foolish enough to let himself be detected by something so base. Still, the hair on the back of her neck stood up, and she knew it wasn’t from the chill in the autumn air.

 

“It’s been such a long time, Tsunade. I’m glad you got my little note.”

 

She turned toward the slithering voice that she knew too well. There he was: more gaunt than she remembered, but then, it had been well over a decade. His sunken cheeks and chapped, thin lips only added to the snake-like appearance. He was still whiter than paper, his inky black hair blowing in the breeze over purple-rimmed, golden eyes. One thing that had changed: there was no attempt on his part to hide the predatory edge to his grin.

 

He wasn’t alone, either. By his side was a young man, younger than Shizune, with an ash-grey ponytail and round glasses that reflected the midday sun.

 

“I thought you said ‘no companions,’” she called icily.

 

“Oh, Kabuto is just here as a witness,” Orochimaru drawled. “All good deals should have someone overseeing them, wouldn’t you agree, old friend?”

 

Somehow, she doubted he was impartial. “What do you want, Orochimaru?”

 

“I heard you were in town,” the Snake nin hissed, opening his arms. “I simply couldn’t resist the chance to-”

 

“Cut the crap.” Her eyes roved over his form, every second giving her more information: It was chilly and windy out, yet he was sweating. There were clear signs of exhaustion in his pallid features…and his arms were wrapped in bandages. She could guess at what had happened - and at the consequences he now faced. So that’s what he wanted…Part of her found it almost poetic that twice in one week she was being asked to heal someone’s arms and restore their ability to use ninjutsu. “What happened? Bit off more than you could chew when you challenged our old Sensei?”

 

He let out a low cackle. “Always so impatient, so hot-headed…very well. It seems you heard about my recent encounter with that old man. I’ll admit, it was rather sad to see him fall so easily, but then, everything with form must decay…isn’t that right, Tsunade?”

 

Her hands balled into tight fists at her sides. How dare he bring  _them_ up! “Get to the point before I end you right here!” 

 

“I can do something for you,” Orochimaru said. “The two you lost…the loves of your life…I can bring them back.”

 

Tsunade’s eyes widened. No. That was impossible.

 

“I’ve developed a special jutsu,” he continued. “One that can bring the dead back to life. All it will cost you is a little healing touch.”

 

It couldn’t be…but if there was anyone who could do it…

 

…it was him.

 

* * *

 

Kaiya and Naruto rushed through the forest surrounding the town, guided by Tonton’s nose. The further out from town they went, the more anxious Kaiya grew. What if they were too late? What if…what if they encountered Orochimaru?

 

And what if Kabuto was there?

 

Kaiya hadn’t told Naruto anything of what transpired in the cave. It was hardly relevant, and far too complex; she still didn’t know what to make of it. The one thing she did know was that she wasn’t going to sit by and allow Orochimaru to claim another life when there was anything she could do about it. Besides, Tsunade was also a Sannin, if a lapsed one. Somehow, Kaiya doubted she’d be taken down easily.

 

And…if they could somehow weaken him, or better yet, kill him…Sasuke, too, would be safe. That thought made her nerves turn to steel and sharpened her resolve to a fine point.

 

There was a clearing up ahead; Tonton gave an alarmed squeal and skidded to a halt, her squinty eyes suddenly wide and panicked. She jumped up into Naruto’s arms. “Whoa - what’s got her spooked?”

 

“I think I know,” Kaiya answered with a frown, squinting into the clearing. “Stay here. No arguments.”

 

Naruto groaned lightly in protest but nodded. Kaiya took a kunai in each hand and flickered a bit closer, keeping low to the ground. Her breath became shallow and silent, and though her skin prickled madly in anticipation, she turned just enough focus inward to calm her chakra as much as she could. Her control was still sabotaged by the injury, but she could at least manage some stealth.

 

There, just over the ridge, in the center of a grassy valley, were three figures. One was clearly Tsunade, her familiar green overshirt and blonde pigtails swaying in the wind; and facing her, two others, both familiar. There was the ash-haired figure of Kabuto; and the other, his back turned, black hair swaying in the wind…

 

Orochimaru.

 

Kaiya’s pupils shrunk to pinpricks; her heart pounded in her ears. His back was turned, and she had a clear shot! One well-aimed set of kunai and this could all be over! Her fingers twitched around the knives - but she held herself back. If she missed, or if he noticed the attack, she’d just be revealing their position and putting Naruto in unnecessary danger. They had to be smart about this.

 

She went back to Naruto. “They’re down there - Tsunade, Orochimaru, and Kabuto-”

 

“Kabuto?!”

 

Kaiya clamped a hand over his mouth, but he’d already nearly shouted the name. She prayed that the wind would swallow the sound rather than carry it to the other three. “Shh! Keep your voice down!”

 

“But why’s _Kabuto_ here?” he asked in a hushed voice when she took her hand away. 

 

Kaiya’s brow furrowed. There was no way Naruto, who’d been an infant at the time, would remember Kabuto from the orphanage. “How do  _you_ know him?” 

 

“He took the Chunin Exams with us,” Naruto said. “He helped us out in the Forest, but he never went to the third round! So what’s he doin’ here?”

 

Kaiya pinched the bridge of her nose. “He’s not a Konoha Shinobi, Naruto-”

 

“Well, that’s only partially true.”

 

The color drained from Kaiya’s face. How had he snuck up on them so easily? She immediately swerved into a defensive position in front of Naruto, creating a barrier between him and the ash-haired medic who’d suddenly appeared behind her.

 

The midday sun reflected off of Kabuto’s glasses, obscuring his eyes, but his jaw was tight as he looked down at the pair. “What are you doing here, Kaiya? How did you get out?”

 

Behind her, Naruto looked back and forth between them. “Wait…what’s goin’ on here? How do  _you_ know each other?” 

 

“Guess you haven’t told him yet,” Kabuto said. “Well, Naruto-kun, dear Kaiya and I go back quite a ways. Sorry I didn’t mention it before - didn’t seem relevant.”

 

“But…” The innocent confusion in Naruto’s voice broke Kaiya’s heart. “Why’re you here, Kabuto?”

 

“Guess _you_ never told him,” Kaiya hissed to Kabuto. “Who you really work for, that is.” 

 

“What? What’re you talkin’ about? Who he really works for?”

 

Kaiya loved Naruto. She really did. But sometimes…he could just be so  _dense._ “Naruto. Look at his hitai-ate. He’s with Otogakure - Orochimaru’s village.” 

 

“Wh-” This time, Kaiya managed to muffle his surprised shout before it fully left his mouth.

 

A muscle in Kabuto’s jaw twitched. “Always so noisy…Kaiya. You need to get out of here.  _Now_ .” 

 

“Can’t,” she replied, keeping her hand over Naruto’s mouth. “I’m not letting _him_ kill someone else!” 

 

“Kill?” Kabuto tilted his head at her. “Who said anything about killing?”

 

Both Kaiya and Naruto blinked at him.

 

“Ohh…” Kabuto shook his head. “I see…you think he’s here to kill Tsunade? Hardly. I told you - leave the Sannin to their business. It has nothing to do with you. Now _go._ ” 

 

Kaiya dared a glimpse back toward to the figures in the clearing. They remained standing a couple meters away from each other, neither attacking, just…talking? Her heart caught in her throat. Was Tsunade making some sort of deal with that monster?

 

Naruto squirmed in her hold, pushing her hand away from his mouth. “Uh-uh! No  _way_ is Tsunade-baa-chan makin’ nice with that guy! I don’t care if she’s a drunk old hag who sucks at gambling, she ain’t the type to stoop  _that_ low! Not if Pervy Sage thinks she can be Hoka-” 

 

Kaiya slapped her hand over his mouth again, but it was too late. A guarded expression came over Kabuto’s face; he knew exactly what Naruto had almost said.

 

“Just when I thought the village couldn’t go any lower,” he muttered. “They seriously want _that_ as their leader? I mean, I admire her as a medic, but from what I’ve heard of her lately…” 

 

A few days ago, Kaiya would have been in complete agreement with him. In fact, she still wasn’t sure that Tsunade was Hokage material. But she did not like the arrogant, supercilious tone in his voice.

 

“Not to mention,” Kabuto continued, “she came here willingly. I left her a little note from Orochimaru-sama, and she decided to come and hear him out. They _are_ old friends, after all.” 

 

For a second, Naruto stopped squirming in her arms and Kaiya herself froze in shock. Tsunade had come here willingly…?

 

Naruto shook free from her hold entirely and shot down the ridge at break-neck speed. Kaiya cursed and started after him, but Kabuto grabbed her arm.

 

“Let him go,” he said. “You get out!”

 

“Like hell!” She yanked her arm back and was halfway down the ridge before he could do anything about it. She caught up to Naruto, grabbing him around the middle.

 

“Well, well…what do we have here?”

 

It was too late.

 

Orochimaru had seen them.

 

A chill swept through Kaiya’s entire body as she lifted her eyes to meet the Sannin’s golden gaze. The same feral instinct she’d felt when she first saw him months ago arose again, screaming at her to flee, to take Naruto and run as fast as she could in the opposite direction. Yet at the same time, an equally powerful instinct rose to tear the Snake-nin apart for what he did to Sasuke, to Konoha, to Sandaime.

 

Tsunade stomped up behind him, glowering at the young pair. “What the  _hell_ are you two doing here?!” 

 

“We thought you were in danger!” Naruto shouted indignantly, glowering at both Sannin. His eyes locked onto Orochimaru; he bared his teeth and positively shook with rage. “What the hell did you do to Sasuke, you snake?! And why the hell did you attack our village?! I’ll kill you for what you did!”

 

Orochimaru simply cackled in amusement. “What a funny child…I nearly forgot that we’d met in the Forest that one time. How is my dear Sasuke-kun? I expect him to seek me out any day now…”

 

“ _I’LL RIP YOU TO SHREDS!”_ Naruto tried to leap at the man, but Kaiya held fast. 

 

“Orochimaru.” Tsunade crossed her arms over her chest. “Leave them be. They’ve got nothing to do with this.”

 

“Oh, I don’t know about that,” Orochimaru drawled. “Kabuto, you never mentioned that such a _lovely_ acquaintance was in town!” 

 

“I didn’t realize, my lord,” came the tight answer from behind them. Kabuto had rejoined them. “I found them on the edge of the field just a moment ago.”

 

Kaiya’s heart stopped for a second. That…was an outright lie. Kabuto hadn’t told him? So…he really  _had_ been trying to keep her away from Orochimaru? 

 

Suddenly, she was all too aware of the Snake Nin’s hungry gaze.

 

“Orochimaru!” Tsunade crossed her arms over her ample chest. “Your deal is with me-”

 

“Our deal is unnecessary now,” Orochimaru replied, never taking his eyes from Kaiya. “After all…why pay for something when I can simply take it?”

 

In the blink of an eye, his neck stretch to an unnatural length, sending his head plummeting toward her, jaws open wide. Kaiya’s first instinct was to shield Naruto, which she did, spinning around to cover his body with her own. Yet she knew he wasn’t the target.

 

The teeth never met her flesh.

 

Kaiya peeked over her shoulder and saw why: Tsunade stood between her and the Snake nin, her arms shaking as she held his open maw just inches from her own face. “Kaiya. Take Naruto and go!”

 

Naruto shook his head and protested loudly; Kaiya couldn’t blame him. “No - we’re not leaving here-”

 

Tsunade managed to throw Orochimaru back. “He wants  _you!_ ” 

 

Kaiya shook her head. “Why me?!”

 

“Your chakra,” she answered. “It can probably heal him.”

 

What? How was it supposed to do that?! She couldn’t even use it herself!

 

“Kabuto,” Orochimaru called, preparing for another strike. “I think it’s about time to show your skill. Take care of Tsunade and that boy - leave the girl to me.”

 

Kaiya’s head whipped around to face the spectacled young man. He’d kidnapped her to keep her away from Orochimaru, claimed that he’d been looking out for her for years, just like he’d promised when they were kids…and so far, all evidence pointed to him telling the truth about everything. Maybe he really was trying to protect her. Maybe…he still would.

 

For a brief moment that felt like an hour, Kabuto met her eyes. Was that a flicker of conflict she saw in his? Was this hesitation on his part a sign of defiance? She held her breath, unsure of what he would do - of what she  _should_ do. 

 

“ _I promise…I’ll always look out for you, okay? Even if I’m not around…”_

 

A cloud passed overhead, its shadow bringing a deep chill to her spine. When it passed, the sunlight glinted off of Kabuto’s glasses, obscuring his eyes from view once again. His tongue darted out to lick his lips, and then, in a voice that held the slightest of cracks, he answered.

 

“Yes, my lord.”

 

Something in her chest dropped hard, but even as disappointment and grief flooded her system, so did shame and anger. She should have known. She  _had_ known - yet for a moment, she’d actually hoped for some other outcome. 

 

Stupid. After all…hadn’t she seen this play before?

 

He disappeared into the ground. Kaiya threw Naruto to the side and leaped away just as Kabuto came bursting through the earth - but not at  _her_ feet. He was going for Tsunade! The female Sannin side-stepped his attack and drew back her fist. Kabuto dodged the blow so that she hit the ground instead; with a loud crack and rumble, a crater the size of a gazebo formed in the earth where he’d stood a second ago. 

 

That was her strength.

 

Kaiya was so in awe of the display that she almost didn’t see the long, magenta rope that shot toward her - almost. She blocked it with her arm; it wrapped around the limb like a whip and held fast. Except…it wasn’t rope. It was wet, vaguely slimy…as she struggled in a tug-of-war with it, she followed it back to its source.

 

It was Orochimaru’s  _tongue._

 

Kaiya’s feet dug into the dirt as she was pulled in toward the Sannin. She whipped out a kunai with her free hand and slashed at the appendage in disgust, catching the tip as it retreated and slicing off a chunk a few inches long.

 

Orochimaru winced as he retracted the unnaturally long muscle. “A prey with claws, I see. Yet something seems different from last time…you’re injured as well, aren’t you, dear girl?”

 

He walked toward her at an unhurried pace. “What a shame,” he mocked. “But I do remember now - you’re the one who tried to break through the barrier while I was killing the Third Hokage. It isn’t just anyone who could have gone against a jutsu used by my special Four…truly, you must have inherited your clan’s special chakra! Now, be a good little rabbit and stay still.”

 

“Stay away from her, you snake!”

 

A half-dozen orange balls of fury leapt on the Sannin, attempting to restrain his limbs, stab him with kunai, punch or kick him - but Orochimaru simply shook them off with a look of annoyance. One by one they poofed out of existence until only the real Naruto remained. Orochimaru took him by the throat and raised a kunai he’d swiped from one of the Shadow Clones.

 

Kaiya sped forward, her Body Flicker’s aim true for once as she barreled into the Sannin’s torso. She’d caught him by surprise; he fell back, letting Naruto go. As his arms spread wide, she took her own kunai and jammed them into the palms of his hands, pinning him to the ground.

 

And still he laughed.

 

“Oh, very good,” he mocked, his laughter making his stomach shake. “I didn’t expect you to willingly come so close…how amusing!”

 

The laughter morphed into an open-mouthed moan as his jaw seemed to unhinge. Something was coming out of his mouth…round, black… _hair?_

 

Kaiya jumped off of him, both she and Naruto shrinking back in awe and horror. Orochimaru’s body went limp, deflating like a balloon as this new creature emerged bit by bit. No, not a creature…it was the Sannin himself, coated in a thin sheen of saliva. He’d shed his skin like the animal he embodied, and now he grinned at them maniacally.

 

“I may not be able to access my full range of ninjutsu,” he hissed. “But I still have plenty of tricks up my sleeve. This is the difference between an ordinary ninja and a Sannin!”

 

Shit. And she was barely even ‘ordinary’ at this point.

 

“Yeah?!” Naruto stood and made another hand sign. “Well, I’m don’t care if I am just ‘ordinary!’ I ain’t runnin’ away!”

 

“Naruto,” Kaiya hissed. “Don’t waste your chakra! Clones won’t do anything against him!”

 

“Good thing I’m not using a clone!”

 

Chakra gathered in his hand, spinning madly, condensing into a vague mass. Kaiya’s eyes widened; was he going to use the Rasengan here?!

 

Orochimaru arched a brow. “Now, that is intriguing…why don’t you see if you can actually hit me with that, hm?”

 

Naruto growled and before Kaiya could stop him, ran at the Sannin at full speed. A battle cry erupted from his chest; his feet pounded the ground while Orochimaru merely stood there, a bemused smile on his face.

 

Then something caught his foot and he tripped, the chakra mass in his hand spinning out and dispersing into the wind. With a groan, he turned over and clutched his foot; a shuriken had lodged itself deeply in the upper arch. Kaiya glanced to the side and saw Kabuto, his arm still out from the throw, panting, but no longer fighting Tsunade…because the woman was behind him, kneeling on the ground, shaking like a leaf and splattered in blood.

 

“Very good, Kabuto,” Orochimaru praised. “Using her fear of blood against her…go ahead and finish her off. We don’t need her any longer.”

 

Kabuto turned and raised a glowing hand.

 

Without thinking, Kaiya flickered, coming between him and the female Sannin just as he struck. She caught the strike in her midsection, just below her ribs, before he abruptly pulled back; something in her side tore, sending white-hot pain throughout her abdomen. Her breath came out in short, quick puffs; in front of her, she saw Kabuto back up a step, a look of shock on his face.

 

“Why did you do that?” he asked, his voice shaking.

 

“I won’t…let you…kill her!” she gasped out, clutching her side. Searing waves of pain crashed over her torso, but she could still breathe, still move.

 

He dipped his head. “You should have stayed with Naruto.”

 

Her breath stopped. Looking past him, she saw Naruto struggle to stand, leaning on one foot as a grinning Orochimaru walked toward him.

 

No.  _No!_

 

Kaiya tried to get past Kabuto, but her side exploded in pain and Kabuto himself stopped her with an arm around her torso.

 

“I told you,” he muttered in her ear, holding fast to her as she fought against him. “I knew this would happen if you came. You should have listened to me, Kaiya.”

 

Orochimaru opened his mouth wide once more; this time, it was a snake’s head that emerged, and from its maw…the metallic glint of a sword’s hilt. He pulled it out; Naruto fell back as he tried to get away, blood from his foot staining the grass beneath him.

 

Smoke filled the field, obscuring her view. She thrashed in Kabuto’s hold, needing to see what happened, needing to get to Naruto before it was too late!

 

“Late to the party, but always just in the nick of time!”

 

That voice - she knew that voice! The smoke cleared, revealing that Jiraiya had Naruto hooked around the waist at his side, several meters away from Orochimaru - safe. Despite herself, she sagged against Kabuto’s shoulder, boneless with relief.

 

Orochimaru gave a wicked grin at his old teammate. “And now  _you’re_ here, as well. Kabuto told me you were in town…” 

 

He and Jiraiya began circling each other. “I’ll admit,” the Snake Nin continued, “I was planning to save this for later, when I was in better shape…but even with both of us compromised, I can still beat you!”

 

They clashed; Kaiya started struggling again, wanting to make sure Naruto was okay and not caught in the middle of this.

 

Kabuto growled in annoyance as he adjusted his hold on her. “Hold still a minute!”

 

Ready to give him a few choice suggestions of her own, she froze when she felt his hand at her injured side. Something cool and gentle emanated from his palm, calming the inflammation in her flesh; she hissed when the almost comforting sensation suddenly turned sharp and throbbing, but through it, she could tell that whatever he’d done to her before…was mending.

 

He was  _healing_ her. 

 

“When I let go,” he muttered into her ear, “go to Tsunade. What Orochimaru-sama wants from you is your chakra, but even if it worked, I don’t believe it would last. He’d just keep using you - but you can use it for yourself.”

 

“Wha-”

 

“Bite yourself,” he hissed as the energy receded from his hand. “It should heal your arms!”

 

He spun her around and pushed her toward Tsunade. When she looked back, he had already returned to his master’s side and was undoing the bandages on Orochimaru’s arm. The Sannin’s skin was a sickening blackish-purple, wrinkled and dry like crumpled rice paper - but even from this distance, she could see something written over it in black ink. Kabuto smeared some of his own blood over it.

 

“That’s nothing good,” came a voice at Kaiya’s side. She looked up to see Jiraiya deposit Naruto next to her. “My chakra control’s shot from whatever knocked me out. Shizune gave me something to speed up the detox process, but it’s still gonna take some time.”

 

A new puff of smoke engulfed the field; when it cleared, two gigantic, diamond-shaped heads blocked out the sun and threw them all into shadow - the heads of a pair of enormous snakes, each the size of the Hokage mansion.

 

Jiraiya swore under his breath. “Kaiya - take Tsunade! Shizune’s over at the west edge. I’ve got Naruto!”

 

Naruto protested when he again scooped him up around the waist; Kaiya swung Tsunade’s trembling arm over her shoulder and leaped away just as one of the snakes came crashing down to the ground. They were on the eastern side of the field, and the snakes lay between them and where Jiraiya said Shizune was. There were no trees in which to take cover; the best she could do was find a large boulder and carefully lower Tsunade behind it.

 

“Tsunade, please,” she begged, taking the woman’s shoulders. “We need your help!”

 

She shook her head. “I-I can’t…I can’t…”

 

“Yes, you can,” Kaiya insisted. “You’re one of the legendary Sannin, aren’t you? I saw you earlier - you can stand against Orochimaru!”

 

“But I can’t…”

 

“Is it the blood?” Kaiya whipped off her jacket and started scrubbing at the rust-colored stains. “Look, it’s coming off, okay? Get yourself together!” She clicked her tongue in frustration. “Jeez, what’s a medic that’s afraid of blood, anyway?!”

 

“Just leave me,” Tsunade whispered in a weak voice. “Save yourself…”

 

“Not gonna happen,” Kaiya shot back, glancing around the boulder to check on the fight. Jiraiya had managed to slow the snakes down with some sort of Earth jutsu that turned the field to mud; he was keeping both Kabuto and Orochimaru busy for the moment, but how long would that last?

 

At last, Tsunade lifted her amber eyes to search Kaiya’s face. “Why are you doing this?”

 

“Doing what?”

 

“Helping me,” she said.

 

Kaiya stopped and stared at her for a second. Why  _was_ she doing this? It didn’t feel wrong in any way, but if anything, she’d only made the situation worse by coming here. Tsunade hadn’t been in any real danger, as it turned out. As for Orochimaru…the smartest thing to do would have been to run once it was clear that he wanted her instead. But everything in her rebelled against the notion. 

 

“I don’t know,” she admitted. “But like I said before - I’m not letting that snake take any more people, especially from my village!”

 

The ground shook as one of the snakes again slammed against the ground. Kaiya spied Jiraiya’s white mane, along with Naruto’s orange jumpsuit, a safe distance away; but then the other snake slithered over its twin’s body, escaping the mud and speeding toward the boulder where she and Tsunade hid.

 

“Shit,” she swore. “Look - I’m going to fight, with or without you. But whatever happens, don’t you dare get yourself killed, you hear me?!”

 

Tsunade just kept staring at her with wide eyes set in a colorless face. The snake drew closer; Kaiya saw atop its head not Kabuto, but the lanky form and inky hair of Orochimaru, his gold eyes wide and hungry. No, no, no…Kabuto she might be able to handle, but him?!

 

_Bite yourself - it should heal your arms!_

 

Kabuto’s words came back to her as her stomach clenched in fear. “Tsunade - at least tell me this: Am I an Uzumaki? Can my own chakra heal me?”

 

Tsunade’s eyes grew even more. Then, she gave the smallest of nods.

 

“By biting myself?”

 

Again, a reluctant nod.

 

Orochimaru’s snake was almost in striking range. There was no time left to think, no time to wonder about the absurdity of the claim; Kaiya whipped off a glove, raised her arm to her mouth, and bit down.

 

It hurt like a  _bitch_ . Her sharper teeth pierced the still-delicate skin, drawing blood; the force of her jaw squeezed the muscle and veins of her arm, crushing them against bone. For a split second, all she felt was the dull pain of the bite and the despair of having done absolutely nothing useful. 

 

Then…she felt it. Her chakra - it suddenly flared to life across her entire body! Endorphines flooded her veins, replacing the pain of the bite with tingling warmth and a sensation of floating off the ground. Her heart raced, her eyes fluttered shut at the incredible rush of her energy being brought to its pinnacle. Every nerve in her body seemed to be firing madly, sending electricity crackling under her skin, bringing with it a sense of pure release. She hadn’t felt her chakra so active in months, nor had she ever felt so  _alive!_

 

The energy ran up and down her arms, across pathways that had felt atrophied from lack of use, rebuilding burnt connections and repairing the charred tenketsu points so that her system once again breathed without restriction. Even the small bruises and scrapes she’d gathered in the past day cleared; as her chakra finally settled down and she came down from the high, Kaiya felt better than simply healed.

 

She felt  _whole._

 

She felt like she was coming out of a dream - and then came crashing to reality when she realized Orochimaru’s snake was rearing to strike at them.

 

“Found you,” the Sannin cackled.

 

Kaiya grabbed Tsunade and jumped as the snake darted forth, its mouth open wide, fangs glistening in the sun. She left Tsunade at another cropping of rocks and took a pair of kunai from her holster. Channeling chakra down her arms was a familiar sensation, yet never had she been so aware of it before; now she could actually feel it shifting its nature to her intentions, taking on the spinning push-and-pull of Wind energy as it surrounded her blades. With an elated grin spreading across her face, she let the kunai fly; bolstered by the Wind chakra, they flew faster than any sight could track, curving on their path through the air and piercing the snake’s eyes before it could move away.

 

It worked. It worked!  _She could use her chakra again!_

 

The snake gave a loud screech of pain as it was blinded; four more kunai spun straight across its body, the Wind chakra increasing their cutting range and shredding its scaly skin. Its screeching died when its windpipe was severed; within seconds, it disappeared with a poof, sending Orochimaru plummeting to the ground.

 

The Sannin landed on all fours and opened his mouth. His tongue shot forth, moving so fast that any normal ninja wouldn’t have been able to get out of its way in time.

 

But Kaiya was fast - and now, she had full control of her chakra back. Body flicker carried her out of the tongue’s range as soon as her eyes perceived it; she kept moving, her body a blur except for the occasional after-image she left when she would ever-so-slightly slow down. Orochimaru’s eyes attempted to track her, but she knew it was useless. Even the Sharingan would have a hard time, as she knew from a reliable source. After all - she’d learned this trick from someone who bore those eyes.

 

Yet Orochimaru seemed neither vexed nor worried. If anything, he looked fascinated. “Just as quick as one would expect…of the daughter of the famous Yellow Flash.”

 

Kaiya hesitated the barest of seconds. What did he just say?

 

Orochimaru’s tongue once again whipped out and wrapped around her middle. Almost as soon as she was caught, the tongue’s tension fell slack; something had sliced it off!

 

“Kaiya-san! Are you all right?”

 

Kaiya looked over to see Shizune next to Tsunade. “I’m good - keep her safe!”

 

Orochimaru scowled and spit out some blood. “Such a troublesome bunch you are…but you are quite the interesting one, aren’t you, dear girl?” His eyes wandered down her bare arm to the only thing that now marred her otherwise flawless skin - the teeth mark. The hungry glint returned to his gaze. “Yes…strong Uzumaki genes, indeed…your father’s speed…with those two traits alone, you could have easily saved yourself by now. But you know what I’ll do to the rest of them if you did, don’t you?”

 

She did. From the corner of her eye, she could see Jiraiya, under the effects of the drug, panting from the effort of fighting Kabuto. Sometime during the fight, Naruto had been thrown into a boulder and now lay prostrate on the ground. She was caught between worrying for him and an aching curiosity over what the Snake Nin had just said.

 

_Daughter of the Yellow Flash…you’re father’s speed…_

 

_You’re the daughter of the Fourth Hokage!_

 

It was just like what Kabuto had said…but could she trust this snake any more than she could him?

 

Suddenly, Orochimaru raised an arm before his face; a line of senbon needles embedded themselves in his decayed flesh. His eyes narrowed and followed their trajectory back to Shizune, who stood before Tsunade with wide eyes and an empty arm holster.

 

“Poisoned, I presume?” Orochimaru asked in a deceptively casual tone, picking the needles out one by one. “I suppose this is one advantage to having nearly dead flesh…much slower circulation. But really, you thought to use a poison against _me?_ ” 

 

His tongue shot out again, this time wrapping around Shizune’s throat. He picked her up and swung her across the field into a rock; she slumped to the ground unconscious.

 

“Now,” he hissed. “Who to go for next?” His eyes slid to Kaiya. “You, little rabbit, will simply evade my strikes. However…”

 

The slitted golden orbs swept to Tsunade. Kaiya was already halfway to her, ready to block whatever the Sannin had planned, when she realized: he hadn’t gone for her. No, he’d gone in the opposite direction.

 

He was going once again for Naruto.

 

She immediately ran for them, but even with her speed he was already well ahead of her. His mouth opened; the sword from before emerged, but rather than wield it himself, the sword shot through the air toward Naruto’s prone form. Time slowed down. Kaiya, lungs burning, legs straining even with a boost from her chakra, watched helplessly as the blade reached its target, piercing through fabric and flesh.

 

“ _NO! NARUTO!”_

 

Finally, she surpassed the Sannin and reached him - but it was too late. The sword had pinned him through the chest. Blood began to seep into his orange jacket, darkening it to a deep, horrifying crimson.

 

“No,” she moaned, going almost light-headed from panic. “Nonononono…don’t you dare…please!”

 

Kaiya gripped the handle of the blade, but no amount of pulling would bring it free - it was buried almost to the hilt in Naruto’s body and deep into the ground below him.

 

“It’s no use,” Orochimaru’s sand-papery voice slithered to her ears. “The Kusanagi blade only answers to me, and so long as it pierces his flesh, even the Kyuubi can’t heal him!”

 

With a feral shriek, Kaiya spun around and launched herself at the Sannin, armed with nothing but the intent to tear his flesh from his bones with her bare hands. He simply cackled and caught her wrists in a surprisingly strong grip, pushing her to her knees.

 

“Now, then…” He licked his lips. “I have always wanted to sample Uzumaki chakra for myself…let’s have a little taste, shall we?”

 

His mouth opened, baring sharp, fang-like teeth. She felt his acrid breath brush her skin as he bent down toward her neck.

 

Then his head yanked backward with such force that it left a cool breeze in his wake. A fist connected with his jaw; his eyes bugged from his sockets as the punch pushed him off of Kaiya.

 

“What?!” he exclaimed, bringing a hand to his cheek. “But you were-”

 

“Get…the hell…away from them,” growled Tsunade, standing between him and the two younger Shinobi. She was panting and still trembling, but a fire had returned to her amber eyes.

 

Orochimaru sneered. “Since when do you care about a couple of brats like them?”

 

Tsunade’s fists shook at her sides. “Since they reminded me of who I once was.”

 

“Listen to me,” Orochimaru hissed. “I’m doing the world a favor by killing that boy. If he is allowed to live, it will mean more trouble than you could ever imagine.”

 

“No, you listen to _me_ ,” she stated. “If I do nothing else, _I will protect these two!”_

 

She leaped forward, drawing back her fist and hitting him again. This time, there was more power to the punch, sending him flying. Running, she caught up to him just as he landed, grabbing him by the hair and launching him into the air. As his form receded from view, she hurried back past Kaiya and knelt at Naruto’s side. The sword was still embedded in his midsection; gripping its handle, she pulled hard, the muscles of her arms standing out sharply from the effort.

 

Kaiya shook her head in despair. “He said it won’t budge unless he-”

 

“I don’t give a shit what he said!” With a sharp cry, she pulled again. The sword slid free from the ground, its bloody blade leaving Naruto’s body; she tossed it aside and began to examine the wound. Kaiya watched in a state of suspended animation; for those few seconds, she wavered between hope and despair.

 

Tsunade straightened. “He’s lucky - nothing vital was hit, but he’s going to lose blood fast unless I close this wound.”

 

Kaiya’s eyes widened. “He’s…?”

 

“Alive, yes,” the blonde woman said in a clipped tone. “I can heal him, but I need time.”

 

Something clicked in Kaiya’s mind. “Wait - I can-”

 

“ _No._ ” Tsunade began opening Naruto’s jacket to expose the wound. “Later I’ll tell you exactly why what you did was so monumentally stupid, but for now, suffice to say it’s too dangerous to use that ability more than once in a while.” 

 

For a moment, Kaiya was ready to scream in frustration. If she couldn’t use whatever crazy chakra she apparently had to help Naruto, what the hell was she supposed to do?! “Fine - then I’ll cover you!”

 

She nicked her hand with a kunai and called forth four Shadow Clones, each bearing an identical wound. They scattered around the field in equal distances; within seconds, she had an anchoring tag down and blood marks in place. One more hand sign, and she felt the air pressure shift around them; her barrier was in place.

 

Tsunade laid her hands over the slit in Naruto’s middle. As Kaiya watched, at first, nothing seemed to be happening; blood continued to flow freely from the wound, and to her anxious eyes, he didn’t even seem to be breathing.

 

“Come on, kid,” she begged, staring intently at Naruto’s face. “Don’t die on me!”

 

Kaiya brough a hand to her mouth, biting down on her knuckles as the very thought of Naruto dying made her stomach flip over.  _Please, please, please, please, please…_

 

“He’s so much like Nawaki,” Tsunade murmured, a tear falling from her eye onto Naruto’s chest. “So much that it almost hurts to look at him. And you, Kaiya…you’re exactly like I used to be. I once shared other people’s dreams…I would’ve done anything for them. But listen to me: whatever happens right now, don’t you dare end up like me! I thought I could run from this pain…but I can’t. No one can. I should have been carrying their dreams with me along with their memories. I should have done something to honor their lives and their sacrifices.”

 

Kaiya’s eyes stung and welled up. It was too much, too close to being her reality and she couldn’t bear to face it! “Please…please, just make him better…I can’t…”

 

“I know,” she said. “And I’m not letting him die on my watch!”

 

Gradually, the blood flow slowed, then stopped altogether. The torn flesh joined back together, forming a seam that disappeared under the green glow of Tsunade’s healing chakra.

 

At last, Naruto’s hand rose from his side and closed around the necklace dangling from her neck. His eyes cracked open and he gave them both a weak smile. “Hey…no way am I dyin’ before becomin’ Hokage, ya know…”

 

Kaiya could have wept for joy right there. She sank to her knees, engulfing him in a hug as soon as Tsunade pulled away. Looking up at the woman over his shoulder, she mouthed the words, “Thank you.”

 

Tsunade watched them with a wistful gaze for a moment and gave Kaiya a small nod. Then she stood, took a deep breath, and strode around them. “Whatever you did to cover us, go to Shizune and do it again. I’m ending this once and for all, and I don’t want any of you to get in the way. Understood?”

 

Kaiya turned around. “You’re fighting?”

 

“I’m doing what I should have done sooner,” she answered. No longer was she trembling; she stood strong and unwavering. “What my predecessors would have done…”

 

Kaiya’s brow furrowed. “Predecessors…?”

 

Tsunade looked over her shoulder at her and smiled. “After all, I’m the Fifth Hokage, aren’t I?”

 

Oh.

 

_Oh._

 

Tsunade brought her hands together in a sign. Before Kaiya’s eyes, her body seemed to glow with pure power, making her blonde pigtails sway. The diamond-shaped mark on her forehead glowed and sent out winding tendrils across her skin that shone purplish-black.

 

_Infuin: Release!_

 

Kaiya let down her barrier just as Tsunade rushed toward Orochimaru. The Sannin had been rejoined by Kabuto once again, though the medic looked worse for wear; across the field, Jiraiya, too, ran toward his former teammates. All three of them drew blood at the same time, forming the same hands signs.

 

_Kuchiyose no jutsu!_

 

Kaiya’s eyes became saucers as three enormous puffs of smoke cleared to reveal what could only be described as monstrous beings: a fiery-colored toad with black markings, a giant blue and white slug, and an evil-looking purple viper.

 

“We have to get out of here,” she muttered to Naruto, swinging his arm around her shoulder and flickering them to Shizune’s unconscious form. “Help me move her!”

 

Once they were a safe distance away, she put up another barrier, then stood near its edge to watch in awe as the three Sannin had it out. The toad shot oil from its mouth, ignited by a Fire jutsu from Jiraiya; the snake dodged the flames’ path and struck at the toad, who blocked the fangs by jamming its sword between its jaws. With the snake momentarily immobilized, the slug spat what appeared to be acid at its body.

 

While the three summoned creatures fought, so did their summoners. Kaiya couldn’t see the particulars from this distance, just small blurs as they met in combat. It was a battle of monstrous proportions, yet despite it being two Sannin against one, there was no sign that Orochimaru was really on the defensive.

 

That was, until his snake was pinned by the toad’s sword through its head.

 

When the creatures poofed out of existence just a few minutes later, Kaiya let down the barrier and rushed toward the scene. “Naruto - stay with Shizune!”

 

The fight wasn’t over yet. Tsunade chased Orochimaru around the field, punching him whenever she got close enough. Yet something was off - her enormous strength didn’t seem to have much effect. Her blows should have shattered his skull long ago, yet while he was clearly too worn out to fight back, he also didn’t seem bothered by his predicament. Another strike sent him skidding across the ground toward Kaiya, who shrank back from his form. Tsunade dropped to her knees, the swirling seal receding to the mark on her forehead, utterly exhausted.

 

Orochimaru craned his head to look up at Kaiya with a chilling grin.

 

“How…good of you to come to me,” he gasped, his body trembling.

 

“Orochimaru,” growled Jiraiya, who lay on the ground several meters away. “Don’t you dare!”

 

Orochimaru laughed. “Taking an interest now, are we? After all these years…tell me, dear girl: did Jiraiya or Tsunade ever tell you what  _really_ happened to your parents?” 

 

Part of her burned to take him by the collar and demand he be straight with her. Daughter of the Yellow Flash?! And an Uzumaki?! While the claims were swiftly becoming harder to contest, she was sick of  _no one telling her anything!_

 

But she wasn’t about let this snake get to her. Not now, not when they were so close to just killing him!

 

“I do like that look in your eyes,” he cackled. “Just like before, in the cave…you want to kill me, yet you’re also afraid…”

 

“Not anymore,” she snapped, taking a kunai in her hand, ready to bury it in his spine.

 

“Don’t!”

 

Kaiya froze from her killing strike when she saw Kabuto come into her path, holding up his hands in defense of Orochimaru. His shirt was torn open, light scars marring his flesh from what must have been an attack from Jiraiya earlier. He was pale and sweating, easily as exhausted as the other three, yet still ready to defend his master.

 

And she couldn’t bring herself to strike him. Not after so much of what he said seemed to be - dare she admit it - true. Not when he’d healed her and given her the answer to mending her arms.

 

Not when she could still see the boy who’d been her first friend at the orphanage.

 

“Such a loyal servant,” purred the snake nin, slowly coming to a kneeling position. “But I’m afraid we can’t stay any longer. Such a shame…I did so want to sample the Uzumaki clan’s best-kept secret for myself. However…”

 

He lifted his head, and for the first time, Kaiya could see that half of his face appeared to have peeled away, revealing someone else’s visage underneath. “What the hell…?”

 

Orochimaru grinned once more. “Your chakra and Tsunade’s healing touch aren’t my only options, little rabbit…and before long, my salvation will seek me out.”

 

His voice faded as his form appeared to melt away into nothingness. Kabuto’s did as well, though his eyes lingered on Kaiya’s for a moment; silently, she begged him for some explanation. Why was he still serving this monster?! And while she could swear she saw some sort of softness in his onyx orbs, perhaps even a twinge of regret, it disappeared along with his figure into the wind. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do you know how hard it is to come up with actions for Orochimaru that don’t involve cackling, grinning, and hissing? Very. It's very hard.
> 
> So it’s official: Kaiya is definitely an Uzumaki! And it’s looking increasingly likely that Kabuto was telling the truth about…well…everything. Plus, he healed her AND told her how to heal herself so she could fight! What’s with that, and if he’s really so attached to her, why is he still so loyal to Orochimaru? 
> 
> As for Kaiya’s identity…we’ll be addressing that more fully next chapter ;) Though we did get to see a bit of why she’s having such a hard time believing it. It’s not just that it came from Kabuto…there seem to be some pretty deep-seated self-worth issues. 
> 
> Also, can I just say how much fun Naruto’s first scene was to write? The little ball of sunshine trying to “think like Kaiya”…so adorable!
> 
> NEXT TIME: A return to Konoha for our heroes…and Kaiya has a frank discussion with the two Sannin. There’s a TON to be unpacked - and what about the bet Naruto made with Tsunade? 
> 
> Find me places, be sure to say “hi” (I like it when people say “hi” ^_^), and as always…
> 
> Stay Tuned!


	15. You Were Loved

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooo I made a little fuck-up and posted this chapter before previous one was up. Oops. If you read Chapter 14 before 11/23, you actually read Chapter 15. For the REAL chapter 14 (new content), go back a chapter.

 

Kaiya stared at her tea, half-entranced by the subtle ripples that disturbed its lukewarm surface every time someone walked by outside. She could barely focus on anything else. Her mind had been on a loop for the past twenty-four hours, replaying the battle, analyzing everything Kabuto had said, wondering what was true and what might be lies. She had yet to bring any of it up to Jiraiya or Tsunade; after the fight, they’d both needed time to recover, and she wasn’t even sure where to begin with her questions.

 

Next to her, Naruto fidgeted and kept looking around the hotel room expectantly. He’d woken up with nary a scratch on him, fully energized and with the appetite of a lion. She, however, had barely touched her breakfast and silently passed her plate to him after he’d devoured his own. Now they sat in Tsunade and Shizune’s room…waiting.

 

“Man, what’s taking the old lady so long, anyway?” Naruto moaned. “And where’d Pervy Sage go?”

 

“He said he’d be back soon,” Shizune assured him as she folded clothes into a suitcase. “And Tsunade-sama should be out momentarily.”

 

He groaned and slumped in his seat. Kaiya simply tilted her tea cup and watched the clear green liquid catch the light.

 

“Kaiya-san?” Shizune’s soft voice broke through her haze. “Are you all right? Your tea is getting cold.”

 

Uncertain of how to answer that without sounding rude, she simply made a non-committal grunt. No, she was not ‘all right.’ Physically, she was fine, but it was because of some sort of chakra trait she didn’t even know she had. Naruto almost died. Kabuto, a person who was supposed to be an enemy, had apparently once been a close friend and had  _healed_ her. And he and Orochimaru kept saying…they said she was…

 

She couldn’t bring herself to think it yet again. She’d spent the last day mulling over everything and so far, the only explanation that presented itself was far more disturbing than she liked.

 

Kabuto had been telling the truth, at least about her ability to heal herself…so what else was true?

 

The door slid open and Jiraiya entered the room with two bags of food. “Okay - let’s settle in, ‘cause we’ve got a lot to talk about before we go back to Konoha.”

 

“Come on, Jiraiya,” groaned Tsunade as she finally emerged from the bathroom, once more looking no older than twenty-five. “The job doesn’t actually start until I’m _in_ the village again. I’d like to enjoy my last few days of freedom!” 

 

As the two Sannin argued over when to begin addressing matters of state, she struggled to find her voice while her grip on her tea cup tightened. Why was no one bringing it up?!

 

“Jiraiya-sama is right, my lady,” Shizune was saying now. “We should prepare for when we arrive-”

 

“Tch! Where’s your sense of fun, Shizune?”

 

“Hey, why aren’t we leavin’ already, anyway? Sasuke-teme and Kakashi-sensei need healing, ya know! And I still gotta show ya that I won that bet, ya know!”

 

“Naruto, now’s not the time-”

 

Kaiya slammed her cup on the table, splashing her hand with lukewarm tea and startling the room into silence.

 

“I know what we can talk about,” she said, staring straight ahead and trying to keep her voice even. “How did I heal myself yesterday?”

 

Naruto blinked up at her in surprise. “You healed yourself? That’s so cool, ya know! So wait - like,  _healed_ healed, like with your arms and all?” 

 

“Yes,” she answered tightly, her eyes trained on the Sannin. “But how?”

 

Jiraiya and Tsunade exchanged a weighted glance; every second that ticked by without either of them answering became another ounce of tension in Kaiya’s body. Finally, Tsunade giving a heavy sigh.

 

“Fine. It’s ridiculous for you not to know, and I did say I’d tell you why it was monumentally stupid to use your chakra like that, so here goes.” Her amber eyes locked onto Kaiya’s. “Kaiya. Your mother was an Uzumaki. There’s a special trait some members of that clan have that makes their chakra not just resilient, but regenerative, and you have that trait.”

 

It was true, then - what Kabuto had said…Kaiya swallowed, her mouth dry as sandpaper. “So…I’m an Uzumaki.”

 

Her heart pounded as Tsunade nodded. “Yes. There aren’t a lot left-”

 

“Then I’ve always been an Uzumaki,” she interrupted. “So I’ve always had this…ability?”

 

“Yes, but-”

 

A strange, mirthless laugh bubbled in Kaiya’s stomach. “So…I could have healed myself this whole time?!”

 

By the time she finished the question, her voice had taken on a note of hysteria. This whole time, this whole, damn time that she’d thought she was crippled for life - and she’d had the ability to fix it all along?!

 

Tsunade’s mouth tightened into a fine line. “Yes. You could have. But the Chakra Bite-”

 

“There’s a _name_ for it?!” 

 

“The Chakra Bite isn’t something to be used lightly!” Tsunade barked. “Use it too often, and you’ll deplete your reserves to the point that you can’t regenerate your chakra any more.” She took another breath to calm herself. “It’s what I based my Mitotic Regeneration jutsu on - it maximizes your body’s ability to regenerate cells and tissue for a short period, but there’s a limit to how many times the human body can do that. Essentially, every time you use it, you’re shortening your life span.”

 

Kaiya looked down at the bite mark on her hand - the only mark from the battle that had yet to disappear. Shortening her life span… “I don’t care,” she stated, her hand closing into a fist. “I’d have done it anyway.”

 

“The cost-”

 

“I said I don’t care!” she erupted, pounding her fist on the table. “Is that why you didn’t say anything before? Because I’d shorten my life a bit by doing it? What difference does it make?! If I didn’t do it, Orochimaru would’ve-” She cut off, bringing a hand to her mouth as the nauseating prospect presented itself. “I can fight again. That’s what matters to me. What I’m asking now is: _how_ did you know?!” 

 

Tsunade clicked her tongue and looked away. “I knew your mother.”

 

Kaiya blinked rapidly. Every new bit of information slowed down her mind, making it hard to process anything. “You…what?”

 

Tsunade glared at Jiraiya. “A little help, here?!”

 

Turning wide eyes to the him, Kaiya recalled another thing Kabuto had said to her:  _Even though you’ve been traveling with the Toad Sage, he still hasn’t said anything…_

 

Not that she was an Uzumaki…not that she could heal herself…her head grew light as she wondered just what else would be said, just how much of what Kabuto told her would be true.

 

Jiraiya seemed to be avoiding her direct gaze, looking just to her side. Kaiya was well acquainted with reading body language, and right now, every uncomfortable twitch and guarded gesture told her - as much as she kept trying to deny it - that there was much more to all of this.

 

Jiraiya finally spoke. “We…both knew your parents.”

 

Kaiya brought a hand to her mouth. No, it couldn’t be true…

 

_You were writing parts of your parents’ names,_ she remembered Kabuto saying.  _Uzumaki…_

 

When his eyes finally met hers, and she saw the sadness and regret in them, her lungs ceased to take in air.  _No…_

 

“Your father,” he told her, “was my student, Minato…”

 

… _and Namikaze._

 

“…the Fourth Hokage.”

 

She couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t think, except to repeat the same phrase over and over again.

 

_ He was right…Kabuto was  **right…** _

 

When she finally started breathing again, it was in quick, uncontrolled puffs that did nothing to help her light-headedness.

 

Next to her, Naruto looked around at the occupants of the room with wide eyes, his own complexion a couple shades paler than normal. “Wait…Kaiya-nee-chan is…her dad was the one who…” His hand drifted down to his abdomen.

 

“No.” Kaiya shook her head slowly, gripping the table with whitening knuckles. “No, it’s not…it’s impossible. Yondaime’s child _died._ ” 

 

“That’s the story that was told,” Jiraiya said, passing a hand over his tired eyes. “The truth is, you were found alive by some civilian, but for a few days no one could identify you. Not a lot of people knew who you were or what you looked like. See, when you were born, the Third War was already well under way, and your father had already gained quite a reputation on the battlefield. Enemies would’ve done anything to bring him down, and one of the easiest ways to get to an untouchable warrior is through his loved ones.”

 

“It was actually pretty common in wartime,” Tsunade supplied, mistaking the shocked expression on Kaiya’s face. “Spies were always a concern. Marriages and births were kept off the record; wives didn’t always take their husbands’ names, nor did their children. Distinguishing features were hidden or disguised. Kids especially were guarded, since they were so vulnerable.”

 

“You wore a hood over your hair every time you left home, even after the war ended,” Jiraiya added, nodding to Kaiya. “International relations were hardly stable yet, and Minato being named Hokage meant you still had a target on your back. Villagers knew he had a wife and kid, but you weren’t paraded around; only a handful of people ever interacted with you.”

 

Kaiya’s gaze drifted down to the table. It probably would have made sense to her, if that was the explanation she’d been looking for; but her mind was still stuck on one key claim.

 

_Her father was the Fourth Hokage?!_

 

“After the Kyuubi attack killed your parents,” he continued, “you were missing for a few days. People assumed the worst. When you were discovered alive…Sandaime made the decision to keep you secret. You were officially declared dead; details were kept vague, but rumors were strategically spread to let people fill in the gaps themselves. Those of us who did know you were handled on a case-by-case basis.”

 

“I was already out of the village,” Tsunade explained. “So until a week ago, I thought you were dead, too.”

 

It was too much - it was all too much. She was an Uzumaki who could heal herself…she was the daughter of a Hokage…

 

_The village has been lying to you,_ Kabuto’s voice whispered in her head.

 

A wave of nausea made the room around her jerk dizzyingly. The only cohesive thought in her mind - the only one that kept looping through this whole, outrageous conversation - was the  _Kabuto was right._

 

Kabuto was right - she was an Uzumaki, a descendant of a clan so powerful, so feared, it was now nearly extinct.

 

Kabuto was right - she was the daughter of the Fourth Hokage, possibly the greatest hero known to the village since its founding.

 

Kabuto was right - the village had lied to her all along.

 

She swallowed, forcing the bile in her throat back down. “Why did no one ever tell me?”

 

“Gag order,” Jiraiya said. “Though I don’t know why Sandaime kept it going for so long, to be honest. I guess he wanted to give you a chance at a normal life, without all of this hanging over you.”

 

She almost laughed. ‘Normal’ was being an amnesiac orphan who worked in medical tents? ‘Normal’ was not knowing where she’d come from or who she was?

 

“This is ridiculous,” she muttered, leaning her elbows on the table for support and raking her nails over her scalp. “This is…insane…”

 

It was getting harder to deny what they were saying; these were the Sannin, two of the legendary heroes of Konoha, authorities in their fields - one was slated to be the next Hokage, for crying out loud - and they were now telling her that everything she’d believed about her life was false. She couldn’t refute them, no matter how hard she tried.

 

It meant that Kabuto hadn’t been lying - that alone was enough to make her question reality, and yet it was the only solid thought in her head. Everything she thought she was…it was all wrong, and a  _spy_ had been telling the truth about it?! 

 

“Well…” Jiraiya’s voice made her look up again. “There’s probably another reason Sandaime kept it quiet for so long.”

 

She dreaded the answer, wasn’t sure she wanted to know more, but she had to. “And that is…?”

 

He took a deep breath and sighed. “Naruto’s protection.”

 

Kaiya blinked. Naruto perked up, his own brow furrowed. “Huh? What do I got to do with any of this?”

 

What, indeed? Sure, Yondaime had sealed the Kyuubi in Naruto…

 

…the night he was born…

 

The blood drained from her face. “Wait…”

 

Why would the Hokage have even had a newborn nearby while fighting a demon? Unless…

 

Kaiya’s gaze drifted to Naruto. Spiky blond hair…tan complexion…and eyes the same shade of blue as the photo of Yondaime in every Academy textbook.

 

The same shade as her own.

 

“Minato and Kushina were expecting a second child,” Jiraiya said, his voice sounding strangely far away as the pieces fell together in Kaiya’s mind. “He was born the night of the attack. It’s you, Naruto. You’re Minato’s son.”

 

Yondaime’s son…her  _brother._

 

Kaiya took in a shaking breath. Her brother…Naruto was her  _brother…_ it was something out of a dream, unbelievable yet making perfect sense at the same time, far removed from reality yet the only bit that she could grasp. 

 

“Wait…” Naruto’s voice came out cracked and faint. “What’re you sayin’…”

 

“I’m saying that you two are brother and sister,” Jiraiya answered. “You’re the children of the Fou-hey!”

 

Naruto’s chair scraped against the floor as he abruptly bolted from the room, covering his eyes with his arm. Kaiya was quick to follow him, her heart jumping into her throat.

 

“Naruto - wait!”

 

She ran down the hall, but he’d had already left the inn and was no where to be seen. No, no, no…she had to find him! He couldn’t be alone right now - what must be going through his mind? This wasn’t Konoha - none of his usual hiding spots were here. Where would he go right now?

 

With a burst of intuition, she hurried into the forest surrounding the town. There was only one place where Naruto had spent any significant amount of time this past week. As she reached the clearing of fallen trees with splintered trunks, she spied his orange-suited figure huddled behind a log, shoulders shaking. Kaiya purposely made noise to alert him to her presence. He didn’t show any sign of hearing her, and as she drew closer, she heard soft, choking gasps coming from his buried face.

 

“Naruto,” she called gently, crouching beside him and laying a tentative hand on his shoulder. “Hey…”

 

“Go away,” he hiccuped.

 

She flinched back as though burned. Normally, she would have ignored the command, confident that it wasn’t sincere - just an automatic reaction of a distressed boy. Now, a paralyzing thought occurred to her: What if he’d been running away from  _her?_ What if he didn’t want any of this? Her eyes prickled; what was she supposed to do?! 

 

As she sat frozen in place, at a loss for words or action, Naruto spoke again. “My dad…our…he’s dead…”

 

Her heart cracked to hear him say it aloud. She hadn’t even thought of that; it just seemed…obvious. But clearly, just as she once did, Naruto had held on to some vague hope that his parents were still out there somewhere - alive.

 

“But…he can’t be my…” Naruto choked on a sob. “He can’t be…my dad wouldn’t’a done that, right? He wouldn’t’a put this _thing_ inside me!” 

 

Kaiya’s breath caught in her throat. Oh god…he was right. Yondaime was the one who sealed the Kyuubi inside of him as a baby…her-his- _their_ own  _father_ had done that…

 

“I mean,” he hiccuped, “ya know…when Gaara said his dad did that to him, I was so mad…cuz I know what it’s like, and it’s not fair…but I was also like, hey, at least _my_ dad didn’t do that to me, ya know? I don’t have parents, but at least they didn’t put a _demon_ in me!” 

 

She didn’t know what to say. None of this had occurred to her before; she’d been too caught up in the idea of Kabuto being right about something that she hadn’t even considered what Naruto must have been going through, hearing all of this right next to her. How could she have been so selfish?

 

“And…and…like, I should be happy, right? I mean…you’re like, my sister…for real…an’ we’re family…it’s all we ever wanted, right? But…but…”

 

“I know,” she whispered. How was any of it possible? She couldn’t wrap her head around it. Their parents…them…even with everything Jiraiya and Tsunade had said, it simply didn’t make sense. Her mind was full of half-formed questions, but they floated in a fog, refusing to come together in any cohesive way.

 

“But why’d he do it?” Naruto asked in something halfway between a sob and a growl. “What kinda dad does that kinda thing an’ just _dies_?! An’ he was the Hokage! Did-did-” Something went through his mind that shocked him nearly into silence; he lifted his head from his arms with a haunted look. “Did he…hate me? Did I…did I kill my mom, like Gaara did…?” 

 

Kaiya gathered him in her arms, no longer caring whether he wanted her there or not. Naruto clung to her, his voice breaking as new horrors filled his mind. “Did I kill them? Did I kill our parents?!”

 

“Don’t you think that, not for a second,” she commanded, burying her face in his spiky blond hair, her own voice cracking form barely withheld sobs. “We’ll figure this out, right? And whatever happened…I love you, okay? _I love you,_ and that’s not gonna change!” 

 

Naruto cried openly into her shirt, and all Kaiya wanted to do was to make him believe that everything would be all right, that she’d take care of it all. But what could she possibly say? She didn’t know anything about their parents - she couldn’t even remember their mother’s face!

 

“Your parents loved you both.”

 

Kaiya and Naruto looked up simultaneously to see Jiraiya coming toward them with a somber expression. “Your mother and your father - they loved you both, even before you were born.” He gave Kaiya a wistful half-smile. “You were the apple of your father’s eye, you know - his little girl, his pride and joy. And  _you!_ ” He reached out to ruffle Naruto’s hair. “Minato and Kushina were over the moon about you! They couldn’t wait to meet you.” 

 

Naruto hiccuped, his sobs quieted for a moment. “You knew them, Pervy Sage…?”

 

“Of course I did!” he answered. “Minato was my student, remember? I taught the guy! Heck, I was there when this one was born!” He pointed his thumb at Kaiya. “Never saw him more terrified than when he held her for the first time. Trust me, kid - Minato never hated you. He and Kushina wanted you more than anything - so whatever reason he had for sealing the Kyuubi in you, it must’ve been important. He’d have had no other choice.”

 

“My parents…loved me,” Naruto whispered, his eyes wide with wonder. A small smile started making its way back to his lips.

 

“Of course they did, silly,” Kaiya told him, putting on a smile for his benefit. “How could they not?”

 

He gave a wet laugh. “Heh…yeah, I guess…but still, it’s different knowing for sure, ya know?” He dislodged himself from her arms and raised his own to the sky. “My parents loved me! Believe it!”

 

Kaiya couldn’t help the smile that spread across her face, seeing him switch so easily from distraught to overjoyed. It was so easy for him…she was glad for it, and envious of it.

 

Her eyes drifted from him to Jiraiya and the smile faded. Something was troubling her, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it.

 

“Hey, hey,” Naruto exclaimed, having completely transformed into his more exuberant self in the space of a minute. “I can totally just call you ‘nee-chan’ now, can’t I? I mean, it’s true! You’re my sister - my aneki!”

 

He barreled into her, wrapping his arms around her midsection, and she willed herself to muster the same exuberance. He was right - they’d wanted a real family for so long, and now, in a way, they had it. So why couldn’t she just smile and laugh and be as happy about it as he was right now?

 

The whole way back to town, he chattered happily about how it made perfect sense, wondered how much they had in common, voiced every question about their parents that came to his mind. How had they met and fallen in love? When did they marry? What were they like? There were plenty of statistics on the Fourth Hokage, but what sort of food did he like? Did their mom know how to cook? Did she look just like Kaiya?

 

Kaiya wished she could answer any of the questions he had - but she was just as in the dark as he was. She tried to imagine the answers, but couldn’t say for sure whether what she came up with was real or not - and Naruto only deserved real answers.

 

But she had none.

 

It was only when they reached the inn and Jiraiya said something about telling them stories over dinner that it hit her - what she’d missed before, what didn’t make complete sense until just now.

 

“Naruto,” she called to the elated blond. “Go wash up, ‘kay? I need to talk to Jiraiya for a minute.”

 

He grinned flashed a peace sign. “Right! Hey, hey, don’t take too long, ‘kay? I wanna hear about our folks!”

 

He ran inside, and Kaiya dragged Jiraiya into the inn’s private - and thankfully, empty - courtyard.

 

“Whoa, whoa,” he protested. “What’s got you in a knot now?”

 

She paced the garden for a moment, crossing her arms and tapping a finger against her elbow. “You know…something was bugging me about all of this, and I finally figured out what it is.” She turned to face him. “It’s  _you._ ”

 

He pointed to himself. “Me?”

 

“You _knew_ ,” she accused, forcing her voice to stay hushed lest other residents of the inn hear them. “You knew, this whole time, and you said _nothing._ ” 

 

Jiraiya sighed and passed a hand over his eyes. “Kaiya…”

 

“How long did you know about us?”

 

She already knew she wouldn’t like the answer when she saw him flounder for a moment. “I, uh…”

 

“ _How long?_ ” 

 

Finally, he sighed and closed his eyes. “I’ve known about Naruto since just after the Kyuubi attack. You…I didn’t know you were alive until about five years ago.”

 

Kaiya shook her head, her arms coming around her waist. Everything was finally clicking into place; no longer was it ‘the  _village_ had lied to her;’ it was  _people,_ and one of them was right in front of her. “You never said anything…this whole time, you knew, and you never said a  _thing_ …” 

 

“I was told the same story as everyone else,” he explained, holding his hands up in defense. “That you died. It was only when I was in the village a few years back and I saw you that-”

 

“I don’t care!” she exclaimed, her voice rising. With a quick glance to the inn, she forced it back down to a harsh whisper. “You knew, and you never told us, never came to us! You were there when I was born? What about after Naruto was born? Where were you all this time?!”

 

“Naruto was safe,” he said. “You were-”

 

“Dead?!”

 

He flinched hard. “…Yes. You were dead, as far as I knew - as far as just about anyone knew. I wasn’t in the village much-”

 

“No shit!”

 

“-and it never occurred to me that Sandaime had lied to me, too!” he half-shouted, before lowering his own voice once more. “You were dead, Naruto was the Kyuubi’s vessel - the best place for him at the time was _in the village_ , and I had work elsewhere! What, did you think I stayed away because I didn’t give a damn?!” 

 

“And when you did know? What, did you just figure, ‘oh, well they’ve gone this long without me, they _must_ be fine?’ You never thought that maybe it’d be good for us to know we weren’t alone?!” 

 

“I was pissed when Sandaime told me the real story,” he shot back. “But he assured me that you’d be told when you were old enough-”

 

“Which was when, exactly?”

 

“I trusted his judgment! You had a team, a sensei - there wasn’t much I could do anyway-”

 

“You could have been there!” Tears filled her eyes. “You could’ve told us - or at least me…you could’ve come back when…”

 

“When what?” Jiraiya asked. She just shook her head, tightening her arms around her middle and turning away so he wouldn’t see her eyes welling up. “What happened, Kaiya?”

 

No. He wasn’t allowed to care now. He wasn’t allowed to try and be there for them when he’d been absent for most of their lives!

 

“Just go,” she ground out, fighting the hard lump in her throat. “Leave. You’ve done it before, just do it again!”

 

Jiraiya squared his jaw. “I’m not goin’ anywhere this time - not ‘til you’re both safe back in the village.”

 

“‘Cause _now_ you care,” she spat. 

 

Jiraiya gave a long, measured sigh. “Guess I deserve that. Look - I get that you’re upset, but once we get back to Konoha, we can get some answers.”

 

She didn’t want to go anywhere with him. She wanted to take Naruto and leave - for where, she didn’t know, but at the moment, anywhere seemed better than in this spot, with this man. She pushed past him, hurrying for the garden’s street exit.

 

“Where do you think you’re going?” Jiraiya demanded.

 

“Away from you, for starters,” she growled, ready to slam the gate behind her when something occurred to her that stole the breath from her lungs and made her stop in her tracks.

 

_People_ had lied to her…people she knew and trusted, like Sandaime…and…

 

She didn’t want to turn to Jiraiya for anything more, almost didn’t want to know the answer, but she couldn’t leave it unasked. With one hand on the garden gate, she half-turned and forced the question from her mouth.

 

“Did…does Kakashi know, too?”

 

She heard Jiraiya take a breath before answering. “Yeah. He knows.”

 

With a shaky breath, she let go of the gate and walked onto the quiet street, her legs wanting to buckle with each step. It shouldn’t have surprised her, given everything she’d learned that day. It should have just been another person who’d lied.

 

But it was  _Kakashi,_ and for some reason, that made it so much worse. 

 

Her vision blurred; her nose and eyes began to sting as pressure built in her chest. Why should she care? Why did it matter that someone she’d spent so much time with over the past year had been holding back something so important? It all flickered through her mind like a picture book: how he tried to avoid her when they first met…how nice it had been to find that they had things in common…how devastated she’d been to imagine him disappointed in her, how relieved she’d been when that didn’t seem the case…

 

It mattered, she realized, because she  _liked_ him - and now…she could never look at him the same way again. 

 

Her hands tangled themselves in her hair. Stupid, stupid, stupid! Hadn’t she been through this once already? Didn’t she know better?

 

The tears were already falling from her eyes when she hurried back to the forest. No sooner did she reach the same clearing where she’d found Naruto earlier than she collapsed against a tree trunk, covering her face in her hands as she wept.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It’s out, now. It should have been good news…but it’s tainted with the bitterness of betrayal, not least of all because it first came from an enemy. Naruto seems to have bounced right back already, but how will Kaiya handle this going forward?
> 
> NEXT TIME: The fallout. Now that Kaiya knows the truth…can she ever see her home, or the people in it, the same way? What does this revelation mean about who she is, and what does it mean for her place in the village? Or…will it really mean anything?
> 
> Stay Tuned!


	16. Always Move Forward

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another new chapter to make up for my previous posting mistake :P In case you missed the word on that and read Chapter 14 BEFORE 11/23/19, you might want to go back and re-read it. I accidentally posted Chapter 15 before Chapter 14. We're back on track now though!

 

 

_Running…he was running, his bare feet scraping against the cold, cobbled pavement, barely able to see in the unlit street. He just knew he had to run, had to flee!_

 

_He slipped, tumbling forward and landing hard on his hands and knees in a pool of viscous, acrid liquid. The moon chose then to emerge from the clouds; his hands stood out in the silvery light, the stark white skin stained dark by what he’d fallen in._

 

_Blood. It was blood!_

 

“ _Foolish little brother.”_

 

_He froze, his throat closing and cold sweat beading on his forehead. Every muscle in his body went rigid, yet still he turned around._

 

_It was **him.** Crimson eyes glowed sharp and bright, the only color visible among the shades of black and white. The figure came toward him with unhurried steps, and try as he might, he could see no sign of the loving big brother that should have worn that face. _

 

_Scrambling backward, Sasuke hit against something solid, yet soft…something still warm. He took his eyes from his brother’s for a mere second - then screamed._

 

_It was a body - no, two bodies…his parents! But - but he’d run away, how’d he get back here?!_

 

“ _Foolish little brother,” repeated the cold, flat voice. “You thought you could escape…but you will always end up back here.”_

 

_Sasuke scrambled over his parents’ bodies, his own heavy as he tried to get away. He had to get away - he…_

 

“ _Alone.”_

 

_He…_

 

“ _Weak.”_

 

_He didn’t want to die!_

 

“ _Now run…”_

 

_He ran from the room out onto the streets, his bare feet scraping against the cold, cobbled pavement…just as he’d done thousands, millions of times before._

 

_Then - for the first time in this endless loop of horror - something changed._

 

It was dark - but a different sort of dark. He saw nothing, felt nothing…no. That wasn’t right. He felt something, but it wasn’t cold terror and burning muscles. It was smooth, lightly scratchy, draped over his horizontal form…

 

A sheet?

 

Brow pinching, he carefully blinked his eyes open, squinting and wincing at the sudden brightness that hit them. What…where…he’d been running, and then…

 

“-ke-kun?”

 

Colors and shapes formed in his sight; first pink and peach, with twin orbs of jade…then yellow and orange and so familiar…

 

“Hey, you’re back!”

 

“ _Sasuke-kun!”_

 

A body, warm and solid and decidedly alive, slammed into him before he even realized he’d sat up. Spindly arms wrapped around his neck; something wet dripped onto the back of his shirt and the faint, sweet scent of cherry blossoms invaded his nose. “Sakura…?”

 

“You’re okay,” she wept, clinging to him as though he’d disappear any second. “You’re okay…”

 

Sasuke lifted his sore eyes over her shoulder. “Naruto…” There was the spiky blond head he’d seen before, along with the exuberant blue eyes of his teammate. “Where…”

 

“You’re in the hospital,” answered a soft voice from behind Naruto. Crimson hair, fair skin…

 

“Kaiya…?” Something about the redhead’s presence turned a gear in his head. Kaiya, Naruto…the inn…black cloaks with red clouds…black tomoe spinning in a red iris…

 

“Well, that’s one down,” announced someone else in the room - a woman, blonde, wearing a green shirt. “Who’s next?”

 

Naruto said something about Kakashi and ‘Bushy Brows,’ and soon the crowd filed out of the room, save for two. Sakura remained firmly attached to his neck, though her sobbing had quieted; Kaiya leaned against door jam, a faraway expression on her face.

 

Naruto poked his head back into the room barely a second later. “Eh? Nee-chan, aren’t you comin’ to see Kakashi-sensei, too?”

 

Her head bowed a bit so that her long bangs obscured her face. “You go ahead. I’ll catch up in a bit.”

 

He shrugged and left. Kaiya pushed away from the wall and laid a hand on the pinkette’s shoulder. “Hey, Sakura…you should go see your sensei, you know. I’m sure he’d be glad to see you too.”

 

Sakura finally dislodged herself from Sasuke’s neck and nodded, wiping her eyes with a small sniffle. Once she too was gone, Kaiya sank into the chair at his bedside, leaning over her knees and dragging her hands over her face.

 

“How’re you feeling?” she asked softly.

 

Sasuke’s gaze drifted to the sheet pooled in his lap. He felt…tired. His body told him he’d been stationary for a long time, yet his limbs were leaden and his mind, foggy. A few dim images flickered through his memory, but nothing came together to form a cohesive narrative of how he’d gotten here. His tongue was thick in his mouth when he finally asked, “What happened?”

 

A moment’s hesitation. “What do you remember?”

 

Why did this suddenly feel familiar to him? He tried to pull what he could from the haze. “The inn…we went to an inn…Naruto…and…”

 

They’d gone there to warn him…black cloaks with red clouds…red eyes…

 

_Sharingan._

 

It came back in a rush: Itachi - he’d come after Naruto!

 

Sasuke thrashed, heart pounding, trying to leap out of the bed, but the sheets tangled around his legs. A monitor beeped rapidly; something tore at the skin of his arm, but he barely noticed in his sudden _need_ to move. “Where is he - where is he?! _I have to kill him!”_

 

A strong pair of hands grasped his shoulders and forced him back down. “Sasuke - stop - he’s gone!”

 

He froze and stared up at the redhead’s worried face. “What? But…”

 

“He’s gone,” Kaiya repeated, keeping her hold on him but loosening her grip. “He…he got away.”

 

Sasuke’s shoulders went slack. Little by little, the monitor by his bed slowed its beeping as he caught his breath.

 

Itachi had gotten away?

 

He swallowed thickly and licked his dry lips. “What happened? How long have I been…”

 

Kaiya withdrew her hands and bit her lip before answering. “A little over a month.”

 

A _month?_ He’d been here for a _month?_

 

He listened numbly as Kaiya recounted what had happened at the inn: After he’d been caught in Itachi’s genjutsu, one of the Sannin, Jiraiya, had shown up and essentially chased the two Missing-Nin away. Might Guy turned up as well and took him back to the village while Kaiya joined Naruto and Jiraiya to find Tsunade, the legendary healer.

 

“Sasuke…” He looked up to see Kaiya’s face pinched with remorse. “I’m sorry…”

 

He turned away from her, laying on his side and pulling the sheet up over his shoulder, barely registering the apology. After all… _he’d_ been the one who failed. After surviving the Chunin Exams and that monster called Gaara, after mastering the Chidori and getting stronger…it still wasn’t enough. He’d finally faced that murderer, but none of it mattered; Itachi was leagues away from him in power and in distance, and he was still…

 

_Weak._

 

He barely felt her warm hand on his shoulder, the subtle weight and gentle release as she stood and left some time later. She might have said something to him, but he didn’t hear it. All he heard was that voice, that cold, flat voice, echoing in his head.

 

_Foolish little brother…_

 

* * *

 

Kaiya made her way to the Hokage Mansion without hurry, allowing familiarity to guide her from rooftop to rooftop. It would take a little time for Tsunade to check on the other patients, and she didn’t fancy being alone with the Elders for any period of time while waiting for her.

 

The streets bustled below her; much of the post-invasion construction already neared completion, and it looked as though trade had largely resumed. The last time she’d been in Konoha, she’d been heartened to see so much cooperation and hope despite the losses from Orochimaru’s attack. Now…she wasn’t sure what she felt.

 

The whole trip back to Konoha, she’d been quiet, purposely avoiding Jiraiya and only paying the barest of attention to the conversations he and Tsunade had about political transitions and such. She obliged Naruto’s happy chatter about the two of them being siblings, calling on every ounce of energy she had to smile and assure him that yes, she was ecstatic about this too, that yes, this _was_ what they’d always wanted.

 

She hated herself a little for how empty she actually felt.

 

Knowing Naruto was her brother…it almost wasn’t news at all. She’d always seen him as such, and it didn’t change how she felt about him. She still loved him, still wanted only the best life for him, still wanted him to be happy above all else. That they shared some DNA made little difference.

 

Knowing that other people had purposefully kept this from them for years…that was a different story. Tsunade, she could grudgingly understand; she’d only known the lie until meeting Kaiya in person, though even then she’d kept quiet about it. Jiraiya…Kaiya could barely look at the man without nauseating resentment. How different could their lives have been if he’d just been there sometimes? If they’d known that yes, they _did_ once have a loving family, and that there was still someone looking out for them?

 

However, he and Tsunade were two of the strongest ninja alive, and well-connected to boot. For Naruto’s safety, she needed their strength; even with her arms healed, she wasn’t so arrogant as to assume she could protect him on her own, considering the sort of people who were after him.

 

Besides, she reminded herself: It was the Elders who enforced the decision to keep all of this secret. It was the Elders who’d constantly denied her and belittled her and kept her down. Maybe Kabuto was right, and they were afraid of her for some reason. She still couldn’t understand why, but it was the only explanation she could imagine for how they’d treated her over the years.

 

Konoha was probably the best place for Naruto and her, despite the ongoing deception. It was what they knew, and here, Naruto would be safe. And maybe…if they went public with their identities…things would be a little easier for him.

 

_She was the Fourth Hokage’s daughter..._ Even with all three Sannin having told her the same thing, it just didn’t feel… _real_. Naruto being a blood relative? Sure. Perfectly sensible. Being the presumed-dead child of a village hero?

 

It still seemed a little insane.

 

Her eyes drifted up to the faces carved on the mountain side behind the Hokage Mansion. Four of the most powerful, influential, significant Shinobi in _history_ …and there, the last one on the right - that was her father? Looking at the stone visage, she expected to feel something: perhaps a jolt of familiarity and recognition, a spiritual connection to the high-set cheekbones and almond-shaped eyes.

 

But she felt nothing. It was just a face in the mountain, the same she’d seen almost every day since she was a child.

 

_You were the apple of your father’s eye,_ Jiraiya had told her. _I never saw him so terrified as when he held you for the first time…_

 

Her chest tightened, but not from grief. She used to think that once she knew her parents’ names, the rest would just fall into place: their faces, their voices, maybe even her own memories of them. But there was nothing.

 

She needed to know more - and she wouldn’t let the Elders bar her from her own heritage any longer. Kabuto believed that her identity gave her some leverage…soon, she’d see if that was at all true.

 

* * *

 

“I can’t believe you told her without consulting us first!”

 

“There was no reason not to tell her,” Tsunade defended. “She has a right to know, and for the record, it was Orochimaru who spilled it first, not us!”

 

“Two minutes back in the the village and already trying to pass off responsibility onto someone else,” hissed Koharu.

 

“Excuse me?” Tsunade’s eyes narrowed. “I’m sorry, didn’t you _want_ a Hokage? I made an executive decision to clean up what was originally _your_ mess! Why on earth wasn’t she told before, anyway?”

 

Kaiya held her tongue, silently enjoying the sight of someone dressing the Elders down, even if it wasn’t her. Still, she felt too much like a fly on the wall, watching other people discuss _her_ identity.

 

“Sandaime was waiting until her eighteenth birthday,” Homura stated. “That is when she would be eligible to receive any estate left by Minato and Kushina.”

 

Kaiya started. “Wait. You’re saying I have - that Naruto _and_ I have some sort of inheritance?”

 

“Only the Hokage has access to those assets,” Homura said. “Whatever they left for you is in Sandaime’s personal records. It was agreed upon that this was the best course of action-”

 

“That doesn’t mean you couldn’t have told me sooner!” she exploded. “I don’t care about an estate-”

 

“Hold your tongue, young lady,” snapped Koharu. “We are still your superiors-”

 

“Like that’s supposed to mean something to me?! You _lied_ to me about my heritage, you _lied_ about Naruto, hell, you never even mentioned that I could _fix-”_

 

The sound of wood cracking stopped her; Tsunade, whose fist had created a hole in the desk, glared around the room. “ _All_ of you, shut up! Yelling isn’t going to get anything done!”

 

Kaiya shut her mouth, seething as she looked away. Her hands itched to throw something, punch something, but she wasn’t Tsunade. She wouldn’t be allowed to get away with such behavior, Hokage’s daughter or not.

 

Tsunade crossed her arms. “ _You_ -” She glared at the Elders. “-had no reason to keep this from her for so long. I don’t care whether it was a matter of estate or what; let’s just agree that Kaiya is rightfully angry about this.”

 

The Elders seethed, but made no comment.

 

“And you,” she turned to Kaiya. “Again, you have every right to be pissed off, but that won’t get you anywhere. So take a breath, let it go, and _deal_.”

 

Kaiya’s cheeks burned; she felt like a child being told off for throwing a tantrum.

 

Koharu drew herself up and spoke in a more polite, if still curt, tone. “We must decide how to handle this going forward.”

 

“Agreed.”

 

“It should be kept quiet-”

 

“Why?” Kaiya demanded. “Why should no one know? Our ‘protection?’ I’m pretty sure that if the entire village can handle not leaking who the Kyuubi vessel is, they can handle a couple of name changes.”

 

“That is not-”

 

“Then what?” Kaiya kept her voice barely civil, but there was something liberating about finally speaking her mind to these two. “What are you so afraid I’m going to do with this?”

 

“I agree that it should be kept quiet for the time being,” Tsunade interrupted, barring the Elders from responding. “But it’s up to Kaiya, ultimately, what to do about her public identity.”

 

Kaiya’s indignity flip-flopped to utter surprise at the suggestion. Tsunade was giving her a choice?

 

“This is _your_ name, Kaiya,” Tsunade said, looking directly at her. “Your identity. Take some time to think about this. Naruto is still young, and given his status as the Kyuubi vessel, it’s better that he doesn’t have a spotlight like this on him right now. But you have a choice here. If you decide to go public, we will support you-” She narrowed her eyes at the Elders, who looked ready to protest. “-fully. If you decide not to, we’ll support that as well. But it should be _your_ decision, and you shouldn’t have to make it under pressure.”

 

Kaiya licked her lips, her throat suddenly dry. She was being given a choice. She’d expected to have to fight tooth and nail to even be heard, but now it was _her_ decision.

 

Then a small voice perked up in her mind: If she was going to get something out of this, now was the time to push for it.

 

“I’d like to tell my teammates,” she began.

 

“Absolutely n-”

 

“Out of the-”

 

Both Elders were silenced by a glare from Tsunade. “Can they be trusted with discretion?”

 

“We’re an intel and recon team, Hokage-sama,” Kaiya answered evenly. “We know a little something about keeping secrets.”

 

Tsunade waved her off. “Fine by me, then.”

 

“I’d also like access to all records concerning the Kyuubi attack,” she added. “As well as any documents pertaining to Yon - to my _father’s_ time as Hokage.”

 

“You cannot allow a Chunin such access,” Homura insisted.

 

“I don’t see what her rank has to do with this,” Tsunade retorted. “If it’s such a big deal, then consider her promoted. She’s a Jonin now. There.”

 

“Tsunade! You can’t simply promote someone without due process! Her case must be reviewed by the entire Council and voted upon-”

 

“Jeez, so much red tape,” Tsunade grumbled. “Fine…but she still gets access to those records.”

 

“That isn’t-”

 

“If I may offer a suggestion…”

 

The new voice took Kaiya by surprise; she hadn’t realized there was anyone else in the room, was in fact quite certain that there hadn’t been moments ago. But now, as she looked to the speaker, she realized that there _had_ been someone standing in the darkened corner, perhaps this whole time. He’d concealed his presence so well that she wondered if even Tsunade had noticed him.

 

Tsunade’s eyes narrowed at the newcomer as his cane clicked across the hardwood floor. “Danzo…what are you doing here?”

 

“I am a part of the Council, Tsunade-hime,” the man replied as he came into the light. He was at least as old as the Elders, but Kaiya had never seen him before. His voice reminded her of tar seeping over gravel; his appearance was at once frail and off-putting, though why, she couldn’t quite say. Perhaps it was the bandages that covered half of his face, leaving only a single, slitted eye and a mouth wrinkled in a perpetual frown; maybe it was just that he’d concealed himself so well. “I’ve been listening, and I happen to agree with Tsunade-hime. This young woman should know her heritage and all it entails before making a decision; it would be wise to allow her to explore it fully. Also, I believe I can offer a simple solution to this small problem of security clearance.”

 

“And that is…?”

 

“It is indeed against standard procedure to allow a Chunin access to classified records,” he said. “However, this is hardly a standard situation. Allow her into the records with an escort, and I believe the issue can be resolved.”

 

To Kaiya’s surprise, the Elders didn’t argue with him. If anything, they agreed to this condition with astonishing ease. Was it a generational thing? Did they trust his opinion more because of his age? Had he been part of the Council in the past?

 

Tsunade shrugged. “Yeah, okay, fine. Escort it is.”

 

A small, triumphant flame burst to life in Kaiya’s chest. She’d figured that such a request would require some compromise, but at least this way she’d still get to see those documents. “And…the estate you mentioned. I will be eighteen in just over a month - is it possible to have it released sooner?”

 

The Elders looked to Danzo. “It may take some time to locate,” he mused. “Hiruzen’s affects are still being sorted - but I fail to see how a few weeks can make a difference.”

 

They both nodded and turned back to Tsunade. The blonde wore a peculiar expression; she looked at Danzo much the way she’d looked at Kaiya when they’d first met, as though he was a puzzle she was trying to solve.

 

“Then it’s decided,” Tsunade stated, her gaze lingering on Danzo. “As soon as the estate is found, it will be turned over to Kaiya without further delay.”

 

That was enough for now, Kaiya decided, though there were a good half-dozen more requests she had in mind for the near future. Best not to push her luck too far.

 

She bowed to Tsunade; then, almost as an afterthought, she sent a nod of gratitude to the cane-wielding man from the shadows. Whoever he was, he clearly had sway over the Elders, yet didn’t seem to share their odd suspicion of her. Something about him put her on edge…but maybe he could be useful.

 

* * *

 

The moment she saw Hikaru and Gorou, Kaiya was swept into a pair of strong arms that made her feel more at home than her own apartment had. All of the tension and confusion of the past week finally began to melt away, leaving her feeling like her body was made of rubber and jelly. She didn’t realize until she hit Hikaru’s couch just how exhausted she was, or how much energy it had taken to keep herself even remotely poised - but as soon as her head met the couch’s arm rest, she dozed off.

 

The scent of tea and roasted murasaki yams roused her some time later. They ate together without much conversation, though Kaiya was sure that her teammates anticipated some explanation, some story of her month’s absence. She was grateful that they waited to ask any questions until after the meal; she reveled in the normalcy of this, of the three of them eating together, the familiarity of their presences in the midst of so much upheaval.

 

At least this wouldn’t change, she thought as they cleared away the dishes. At least she was back with her team - her family.

 

“So…” Gorou glanced at Hikaru as they settled back on his couch; Hikaru gave him a small nod, a go-ahead to begin what was bound to be a long conversation - though Kaiya doubted they realized just how long it would be. “Guy-sensei told us what happened - well, some of it, I guess…so…what happened?”

 

Somehow, she managed to get through it all: seeing Itachi at the inn, learning that he was after Naruto (which in itself required an explanation about the Kyuubi), meeting Jiraiya, searching for Tsunade, Kabuto capturing her and his whole, strange tale (which she hadn’t even told the Sannin about)…and then, the confirmation of her identity.

 

By the time she finished, Gorou was just shaking his head, having shown remarkable restraint by holding back his usual barrage of questions. He looked as overwhelmed as she’d felt when she first learned the truth.

 

“Whoa…” He blinked rapidly. “So…you’re the Fourth’s kid…the one everyone thought died…”

 

“Yep.”

 

“Holy shit…” He raked a hand through his spiky hair. “No wonder you’re so damn fast…I mean, you’re the daughter of the Yellow Flash!”

 

“Yeah…”

 

“Damn,” he swore. "I remember my ma bein’ all cut up over it, ya know? Like it wasn’t enough that Yondaime was killed, but his wife and kid…holy crap, and I just, like, walked right up to you at the Academy…” He snorted. “Oh my god, wait til she finds out that all these years, it’s been Yondaime’s kid coming to dinner!”

 

“It’s…being kept quiet for now,” Kaiya said. “Tsunade-sama…well, she kind of left it up to me what to do about it, but I don’t think that means I can tell just anyone yet.”

 

“Hey, why didn’t they tell you before, anyway? I mean, that whole ‘estate at eighteen’ thing seems like bullshit.” He glanced to Hikaru. “Is it bullshit?”

 

Kaiya, too, looked to their cerebral teammate, wondering the same thing. Hikaru was more familiar with village codes and procedure than she was; he had to be, since he was the official leader of their team and coordinated all of their missions. He had to know every protocol that might come into play for whatever they encountered.

 

Hikaru had listened in silence the whole time, his expression only ever subtly changing as the twists and turns came to light. He steepled his fingers before his mouth, his classic ‘thinking’ pose, his plum-colored eyes half-closing in consideration. “I do recall that clan members are granted automatic access to anything relating to their clan’s jutsu and history in Konoha’s possession…but I don’t know if there’s a standard procedure for orphans in the village’s care. I’ll look into it.”

 

“Ah, yeah,” Gorou grinned. “I’ll bet your new post’ll give you plenty of access to that stuff!”

 

Kaiya looked up in alarm. “New post?”

 

“Oh…” Gorou’s face fell. “Yeah, I guess you wouldn’t have heard, it happened while you were away…”

 

Kaiya’s stomach did flip-flops as her head whipped back and forth between them. He couldn’t possibly mean… “What happened?”

 

Hikaru sighed. “The Elders dissolved our team. Gorou and I have new assignments.”

 

The color drained from Kaiya’s face. No, no, no…they were _family,_ they couldn’t just be disbanded like this! She’d thought that if she had to keep taking missions from a Council that had lied to her, at least she’d be doing it with them.

 

Without that…without her team…what was she supposed to do?

 

“Hey…” Gorou rubbed her back as she leaned over her knees. “It’s not like we’re never gonna see each other, right? And we’ll still train together.”

 

She shook her head in her hands, trying to keep breathing. “Yeah…I know…sorry, it’s just…with everything going on…wait, isn’t that supposed to be the Hokage’s call? How could the Council do this?!”

 

“They’ve had to run the village for the past couple of months,” Hikaru told her gently. “And…we did lose many Shinobi in the invasion. Many teams were reorganized and reassigned, not just ours.”

 

It made sense, but it still felt like the Council had done this to her, specifically. _Stop being stupid,_ she berated herself. _Not everything is about you._ “Okay…so…where did they put you?”

 

“I’m teaching at the Academy,” Gorou announced with a lopsided grin. “Taijutsu! Can you believe it?”

 

“I still can’t,” Hikaru quipped with a raised brow. “You being placed in charge of other people’s children…what _was_ the Council thinking…”

 

“Hey, they love me already.”

 

“You call them ‘little maggots.’”

 

“And they love it!”

 

Kaiya couldn’t help a small smile at the thought. “I’m sure you’re a great teacher, Gorou.”

 

Gorou pointed at her. “See? _She_ thinks I can do it!”

 

“Making me wonder if she hit her head this past month,” Hikaru drawled, his mouth tugging up at the corners. He rolled his eyes. “No, I’m sure you’re perfectly suited to relating to a group of pre-pubescents.”

 

“Thanks. I think.”

 

“And what about you?” Kaiya asked, turning to Hikaru.

 

“I am now an analyst for the Strategic Defense Division.”

 

“The…what, now?”

 

“It was formed shortly after the invasion,” Hikaru explained. “The Council felt that we as a village need to be better about predicting threats. Basically what it does is analyzes data that comes in from Intelligence about outside entities and calculates how likely they are to attack, undermine, or sabotage Konoha. Those with the highest threat level are then passed along to the Council - well, the Hokage, now - for further action.”

 

“Sounds…fun,” Kaiya murmured.

 

“He gets to work with his hero,” Gorou smirked. “Nara Shikaku’s the director. He doesn’t shut up about it.”

 

A light flush crossed Hikaru’s cheeks. “I do not go on about it, Gorou.”

 

“He was totally star-struck when he met the guy,” Gorou stage-whispered to Kaiya. “I think he has a crush…”

 

“Shut up!”

 

Kaiya giggled, relaxing at the sound of their banter. “Well…it sounds like you’re both at places that suit you. I’m happy for you, really!”

 

Hikaru’s face softened in sympathy. “So - what do you want to do about all of this? You said that Tsunade-sama gave you a choice.”

 

Kaiya ran her hands up her face and over her hair, bringing them to rest folded before her lips. “I don’t know. I mean…they said that for Naruto’s sake, it’d be better to keep quiet. But…this could make things so much better for him! I mean, well, you know how he was treated. If people knew-”

 

Hikaru held up a hand to cut her off. “Kaiya. I’m asking what _you_ want. For _you._ ”

 

Her gaze fell forward again. “I don’t know.”

 

“Do you want people to know?” Gorou asked, trying to be helpful. “Like…this would be a pretty big deal, right? I mean, you’re the daughter of a friggin’ hero. That’ll get you points automatically!”

 

Hikaru frowned. “But would you want that?”

 

Gorou huffed. “Who wouldn’t? I mean, c’mon - if _your_ folks were famous-”

 

“Mine are,” Hikaru said flatly. “In a manner of speaking, anyway. Just about every ninja in the Land of Fire knows that the Kusato Corporation holds the majority of Konoha’s weapons contracts. Look…I know our experiences can’t truly compare, but as someone who grew up with an influential family…it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. When people looked at me, they saw my family’s name and money; any accomplishments I made were never truly my own, they were somehow connected to my parents. There were times at the Academy when I wondered if I received a good grade because my work was good, or because the teachers didn’t want to upset my parents with anything less than a semblance of perfection.”

 

Kaiya gave a slow nod over her hands. If she suddenly came out as the Fourth’s daughter…would that change how people saw her? She’d worked hard for everything she had, had even prided herself on accomplishing what she did on her own merit. It was part of who she was - who she’d made herself to be: the practically nameless orphan who graduated near the top of her class; the girl without a ninja background who became a Chunin on her first try at the Exams, who beat a _Hyuga_ in the finals…that had all been her.

 

Right?

 

Hikaru leaned his elbows on his knees and sighed. “I know that you had a much more difficult childhood without a family to fall back on, but consider this: If it was known all along that you were the daughter of possibly the most outstanding prodigy in village history, what would that have meant for your accomplishments? Would they be yours anymore? Do you want people’s respect because of something you had no control over?”

 

Kaiya looked down at her tea, lips pursed. “No. I wouldn’t want that.”

 

“But it’s her _family,_ Hikaru,” Gorou argued. “She had a right to know, and they kept it from her.”

 

“I’m not arguing that,” Hikaru ceded. “I’m simply offering perspective. Coming out about being the child of the Fourth Hokage, especially having been declared dead…it will be big news. For the time being, it might be better to keep it quiet, give yourself time to figure out what it all means to you without the pressure of being in the public eye.”

 

Kaiya nodded again. Maybe he was right - Tsunade, too…maybe what she really needed was time to really think this over. ‘Coming out,’ so to speak, could have unforeseen consequences, and she’d rather be prepared.

 

Fatigue once again draped over her like a blanket. There was so much to do, so much to figure out…she wasn’t even sure where to begin. “What do I do? I mean…I don’t even know what I mean…”

 

“Go home,” Hikaru suggested softly. “Get a good night’s sleep - I doubt you’ve had one in a while. We’ll do whatever we can to help you with this.”

 

“Definitely,” Gorou agreed. “And hey - you and the runt are actually brother and sister, right? How’s he takin’ all of this?”

 

“Better than I am, apparently,” she muttered. “He’s…happy. I think. At least, he’s acting that way. Sometimes it’s hard to tell…”

 

“Maybe you can finally move in together,” Gorou offered. “You tried to do that a while back, right? It’s not like the Council has much of an excuse now!”

 

A bitter taste invaded her mouth. Another time the Council had barred her from her family… “Yeah. You’re right. I’ll talk to Naruto about that.”

 

Gorou leaned back with a frown. “Jeez, thinkin’ about it makes me kinda mad, ya know? I mean, why _are_ the Elders such dicks, anyway?”

 

“They’re meant to be the counterweight to the Hokage,” Hikaru answered automatically. “Not that I can’t say I agree.”

 

Kaiya chewed on her lip as she thought of the most recent meeting with the Council. “Actually…Hikaru, maybe you know - there was another person there today. He was pretty old, probably the Elders’ age, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen him before. Do you know a - crap, I didn’t get his full name…a ‘Danzo?’ Uses a cane, bandages over his right eye?”

 

Hikaru’s brow twitched in thought. “Danzo…the name sounds a little familiar, but…”

 

Gorou snorted. “Wait, you mean there’s a higher-up you _don’t_ know like, everything about?”

 

“I’ll look into it,” Hikaru said with an annoyed glance at his larger companion. “Seriously though, Kaiya. Go home. Get some rest. We’ll figure this out.”

 

* * *

 

Kaiya tossed and turned, but sleep only came in short spurts. She tried to let it go, to convince herself that it didn’t really matter, but it was no use. She couldn’t stop thinking about how many people had deceived her. Just who else was out there? How many people had she interacted with in the past had known who she really was, but said nothing? Would the Elders have even told her if she hadn’t found out another way first?

 

She tried to avoid asking one particular question; she wasn’t sure she could handle the idea, and there was no way to answer it. But it wouldn’t leave her alone. Finally, in the grey hour before dawn, she left her apartment and took a familiar route that led to Konoha’s cemetery. She knew she’d get no reply from the silent headstone, but when she stood before Yuuma’s grave, she finally voiced the most troubling question yet.

 

“Did you know?” Her breath came out in faint, white puffs as she spoke. “Sensei…did you know who I was?”

 

It was almost overwhelming to even consider: Had Yuuma, her mentor, someone she’d trusted with her life and her fears and her hopes, known who she was all along? Had he held back too?

 

He’d been an intel specialist; it seemed ludicrous to think that he wouldn’t have figured it out at some point, if he hadn’t known the whole time. Then…all those times he’d spent an afternoon with her because she had no one else, or when he’d assured her that yes, she was cut out for this life…he’d known, and he never even hinted at it.

 

She could be angry with Jiraiya. She could hate the Elders. She could even be disappointed in Sandaime…but Yuuma? She didn’t want to believe this of him.

 

But she couldn’t help it.

 

A lump formed in her throat. Who could she trust? Who could she look to anymore and say without a doubt that they were being honest with her, that they weren’t holding anything back? Hikaru and Gorou, sure…but they wouldn’t be taking on missions together anymore. Naruto…he was still so young, and she wasn’t even sure he fully understood.

 

She usually came to Yuuma’s grave to let out her grievances, her anxieties - things she didn’t even bring to Hikaru or Gorou. But right now, with the thought that even Yuuma had lied to her plaguing her mind, she couldn’t bring herself to say anything else. He was dead, and yet it still felt like she’d be unloading on someone who couldn’t be trusted.

 

Stomach churning, she flickered from his grave to another - one she’d never visited before, but given its place among the other Hokage was easy to find.

 

_Namikaze Minato_

_Yondaime Hokage_

 

This was her father - a man who’d given his life to the village, who’d sacrificed himself for the greater good...and that was all she knew about him.

 

“Who are you?” she whispered to the memorial. She wanted to feel something - grief, respect, awe, familiarity… _anything_. At Yuuma’s grave, she felt conflicted, torn between sadness and anger and a yearning for his comforting presence despite any lies.

 

Here, she felt nothing. Why couldn’t she feel anything?!

 

Fingernails digging into her palms, she turned away, ready to retreat back to her bed, if only to be alone again for a little while. But she wasn’t alone now - just a few paces away stood someone she really didn’t want to see at that moment.

 

He stood with his hands in his pockets, his single, charcoal eye meeting her surprised sapphire gaze but offering no window into his thoughts. The just-rising sun cast a warm glow on his silver hair and accentuated the contours of his face, covered though it mostly was. She hated that her first reaction to seeing him involved a flutter in her stomach and relief that he was okay; she quickly looked away, willing herself to feel nothing for him, willing herself to not appear anything less than composed.

 

“You’re up,” she commented flatly, glad that at least her voice didn’t crack on her.

 

Kakashi made something like a half-shrug. “Never really liked hospital stays. Should be back on the mission schedule tomorrow.” His eye flicked to her side. “Heard that you’re better as well. I’m glad.”

 

Kaiya crossed her arms, unconsciously hunching her shoulders against an imagined chill. “What else have you heard?”

 

He didn’t respond at first, just let out a hesitant breath. “Enough to know you’re probably angry with me.”

 

“You think?” she snapped, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. “So? What’s your excuse, then? Was it for my ‘protection?’ Just following orders like a good soldier?”

 

She waited for him to answer, to offer any explanation, no matter how ludicrous it would seem to her. Nothing he could possibly say would comfort her, but she wanted to hear it anyway.

 

Yet he said nothing, just stared blankly at a spot near her feet.

 

Kaiya scoffed and began to stomp away. “Fine. You’re so good at absolute silence, why break your streak?” She didn’t get ten paces before whirling back around. “No. You know what? You might have nothing to say, but I do. I mean - do you have any idea what it’s like to know that people you looked up to, that you _trusted_ \- that the whole time you knew them, they were lying to you about _yourself?_ ‘Cause I do, now, and I feel like a fucking idiot! What was it? Was I just - did you think I didn’t have to know? Or that I didn’t deserve to? Do I not live up to the great legacy of the legendary Fourth Hokage or something?!”

 

She couldn’t see his face from this angle, just his back; his posture was no different from how it usually was, slightly slouched and completely still. How could he just stand there?!

 

“Aren’t you going to say something?” she demanded, her voice growing shrill. “Come on! _Say something_!”

 

Not even a flinch. He may as well have been a statue.

 

Breathing faster, she kept going, the words spilling out of her mouth faster than she could think about them. “You know what really gets me about all of this? You didn’t trust me. You, the Elders, Sandaime…none of you trusted me with my own identity, or with Naruto’s. Hell, I can almost understand not telling me about the Kyuubi until last year, even though apparently most of the goddamn village knew - but this? This is my _name,_ Kakashi! This is my _family!_ Do you know how long I’ve-”

 

Her voice caught in her throat, cutting her off. She took a few quick, deep breaths - there was still more to say, and she couldn’t hold herself back anymore.

 

“You know what? I don’t care who they were. I don’t care, seriously. I just…I want to _remember_ them. I want to remember _anything_ about them, anything! But _I can’t._ No matter how hard I try, I can’t even remember their faces!” She waved a hand haphazardly toward Hokage Mountain, just visible through the trees. “You know, I look at Yondaime’s face on the mountain now, and I don’t feel a thing. I stood at my father’s grave and felt _nothing._ Why can’t I feel anything?!”

 

Covering her eyes with one hand, she cursed under her breath again and again, as if that would stop the tears that threatened to flow. She didn’t want to cry in front of him, didn’t want him to see her like this! She was supposed to be mad at him, yell at him and make him answer for his silence, hell, make him finally _break_ that silence! She wasn’t supposed to break down!

 

And he still said _nothing._ The silence hurt more than any words could, making her all to aware of her own exposure and how much she needed to hear him say anything.

 

“Just…tell me why,” she pleaded. “Whatever it is, I’d rather know where I stand, so tell me _why_ you never came forward before, why you never told me…just tell me the truth.”

 

Finally, he spoke, though his back remained turned. “Because I was ordered not to by the Hokage himself.”

 

She waited a second for him to elaborate, but he didn’t. She’d expected something like this, but it didn’t stop the cold wave of disappointment. “So…that’s it. Just playing by the rules, then. The rules that for some reason said I had no right to know who my own family was.”

 

“We are soldiers, Kaiya,” he said quietly. “I was given an order. I followed it. Those _are_ the rules we live by.”

 

“And Shinobi who break the rules are scum,” she sneered. “What was it you told Naruto, though? No, he told me once, it was - that those who turn their backs on their comrades are worse than scum?” She waited a second for him to respond, but he was quiet once more. “Would telling me the truth have endangered the village? Would it have put lives at stake or compromised our security? No, because I’m not some idiot who’s incapable of sound judgment! I’m not someone who’d put innocent lives in danger over something like this! I know we haven’t known each that long, but I’d hope you at least figured that much out!”

 

She took a breath and leveled her voice. “Instead, I had to find out the truth through an enemy spy because no one in my own village deemed me trustworthy enough. You may have been just following orders, but you turned your back on me, Kakashi.”

 

Dry-eyed and cold-veined, Kaiya turned and walked away from the grave site. Part of her kept listening, almost willing him to say something else, to stop her, to make this right somehow…but he never did.

 

What did she expect, though? She should have known. He didn’t care about her, not really. From the day they met, he’d only ever given “stay away” signals. She was the one who pushed him to talk to her, to train with her; he probably only did it out of…nostalgia? Obligation? What an idiot she’d been to think it was anything else!

 

She wished that she never had to see him again - him or Jiraiya or the Elders or anyone else who’d let her believe the lie for so long. But she couldn’t just avoid him forever, could she? He was still Naruto and Sasuke’s team leader - she had no say over that, or over whether Naruto kept training under Jiraiya. She would have to keep taking missions from the same Council that had denied them their very heritage, the same Council that seemed bent on keeping her from knowing or doing anything worthwhile - only now, she wouldn’t even have her teammates to lean on.

 

What was she supposed to do?!

 

She was back at her door before she was aware of having crossed the village. Her hand lingered over the handle for a moment until two units over, another door burst open and Naruto came stumbling out.

 

Kaiya quickly wiped her eyes and cleared her throat. “You’re up early.”

 

“Eh?” Naruto paused in tugging on his jacket, a half-eaten piece of toast in his mouth. “Ee-shn, oo-” He stopped and took the toast out before trying again. “Nee-chan! You too! I’m gettin’ a head start on training again, so that when Sasuke-teme’s finally outta the hospital, I’ll be ready! Oh-” His grin turned mischievous. “Hey, didja see Kakashi-sensei yet? He asked about you yesterday!”

 

Kaiya looked down, heat spreading up her neck. “Yeah. He found me.”

 

Naruto looked like he was expecting her to say more, but when she didn’t, he shrugged. “Oh! Okay, great! Hey, I wonder if we’ll get to go on missions again now that Sasuke-teme’s up. Man, Kakashi-sensei better not slack on getting us good ones!”

 

Kaiya stared at him in wonder. “Naruto…doesn’t it bother you? That Kakashi never told you anything? About us, I mean…”

 

Naruto scratched his head. “Eh? Did he know?”

 

She kept forgetting how little he paid attention to things like who was who’s student. She almost hated having to break this to him. “Yeah, he did.”

 

Naruto’s eyes turned to saucers. “The whole time? Seriously?!”

 

“…yeah.”

 

“Why that-” He brandished his fists in front of him. “I’m so not letting him live this down, ya know! Next time he doesn’t wanna tell me somethin’, I’m reminding him about this!” Then he shrugged and grinned. “Heehee, I can totally guilt-trip him into teachin’ me a super-cool jutsu now! Just wait - by the time Sasuke-teme’s outta the hospital, I’ll have _two_ big techniques down to wipe that smug look off his face!”

 

Kaiya felt like she had whiplash. One second he was angry, the next he was laughing… “So…it really doesn’t bother you, then?”

 

Naruto straightened and rubbed the tip of his nose in thought. “Well, I mean I guess it’s kinda bad that he coulda said something but didn’t, but it’s done and we know now, right? I mean, you’re my aneki! That’s awesome! An’ part o’ me wants to rub it in Sasuke-teme’s face, since he’s always goin’ on about how great the Uchiha clan is, and now I’ve got both a Hokage and a super-cool clan to my name, but I know I shouldn’t really say anything yet, so why act like things are different? Besides, I mean, no one told me about the Kyuubi for a really long time either, so…but it doesn’t change me, ya know? I’m still Uzumaki Naruto - it’s even my real name, at least from our mom, right? So I’m gonna just keep bein’ Uzumaki Naruto, and I’m gonna show Sasuke-teme that I’m not a loser, and I’m gonna be Hokage someday - just like our dad!”

 

Kaiya couldn’t help it: she smiled, a small puff of laughter escaping her chest. He was so… _Naruto._ Boundless optimism, always looking forward…she actually felt a little lighter just looking at him. Then she noticed something around his neck, laying flush against his mesh undershirt. “Hey - that necklace, is that…?”

 

Naruto looked down and grinned. “Mm-hm! Tsunade-baa-chan gave it to me! She said I won the bet, but since you already healed yourself, she couldn’t keep up that part of her end, so she gave me this instead! I didn’t really care about it at first, but it looks kinda cool, right? An’ it was the First Hokage’s!”

 

_So she believes in his dream too,_ Kaiya thought, a warm smile spreading across her face. She walked over to him and ruffled his hair. “Guess you better get training, then - especially if you’re going to be Hokage yourself someday!”

 

He beamed and nodded. “Yeah! Uh-huh! See ya later, Nee-chan!”

 

After watching him bound off toward the training grounds, Kaiya went inside her apartment and leaned against the closed door. Naruto…even with all of the upheaval of the past few months, he’d never lost sight of his goal. If anything, learning about their parents had just strengthened his resolve.

 

‘ _Just keep being Uzumaki Naruto,’ hm?_

 

Maybe he had the right idea - maybe she should focus more on being _Kaiya_ than on what she ‘should’ be. She made herself into what she was now without knowing her family, after all.

 

Slipping off her shoes, she went into her bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror. She lifted a hand to her face, lightly tracing around her eyes - eyes that she was certain she got from Yondaime. She didn’t know the man, couldn’t remember anything except what she’d read about in books. And her mother…she barely even had a name.

 

“Kushina,” she whispered when it came back to her. “My mother’s name was Kushina.”

 

She had to learn more about them. The first step was already taken: she’d get whatever she could from the village archives about their time as Shinobi, and soon she’d even have whatever was left of their lives before the Kyuubi attack. The thought made her stomach flutter; what sort of things had Sandaime been holding onto? (And why couldn’t she know before?!)

 

The anger threatened to rise again, but she closed her eyes and tried to stamp it down. As Tsunade had said, anger wouldn’t get anything done. At least, not anger alone.

 

_You’re being handed everything you need,_ she told herself - the same thing she’d told Tsunade just a couple weeks ago. _Now do something with it._

 

She didn’t have to wait for the Council to decide what she should be doing; she knew exactly what she wanted to do. According to Hikaru, as an Uzumaki, she had the privilege of access to any records or jutsu related to her clan. At last, there was nothing barring her from the most powerful Fuinjutsu Konoha had record of, and she could finally use it to help two of the most important people in her life.

 

She would also get stronger. If the past few months had taught her anything, it was that she had a long way to go - especially with people like Itachi and Orochimaru out there as threats. Yet it didn’t seem a daunting task anymore. If anything, she felt for the first time that she _did_ have the sort of potential that could make her feared. She was an Uzumaki: her plentiful chakra, outstanding stamina, and affinity for Fuinjutsu all made sense now, and if the stories of that clan were true, there was so much more she was capable of. And, as Gorou had pointed out, her father was the Yellow Flash - one of the fastest Shinobi in history, as well as one of the most ingenious when it came to ninjutsu. She’d made it pretty far without knowing this, and now that she did know, the world seemed limitless.

 

Then Kabuto’s voice echoed in her mind:

 

_If you stay in Konoha, they’ll suffocate you. The minute you become too powerful for their liking they’ll snuff you out._

 

He’d been right about a lot of things so far…but she still wasn’t sure she could trust his whole story. Secret organizations, Konoha turning on its own people…it should have still seemed ludicrous.

 

But they’d lied to her about her own identity, and so far, she had yet to hear a truly understandable reason for it - except for the one Kabuto himself had offered.

 

_They’re afraid of what you could be…_

 

As Kaiya looked at herself in the mirror, she decided on something that made the corners of her mouth turn up in satisfaction.

 

If they were truly afraid of what she could be…then she’d just have to prove their fears right.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look out world - this girl is on FIRE!
> 
> -Sasuke’s awake…but how long until he snaps under the pressure of his failure to kill Itachi?
> 
> -The Elders are dicks - but you already knew that. It seems Kaiya and Naruto have some inheritance coming their way…what could have been left to them?
> 
> -Danzo made an appearance! And he’s being…weirdly agreeable. What’s that about?
> 
> -Team Recon is back…though disbanded. What will this mean for missions and such?
> 
> -And damn, Kaiya really let Kakashi have it! What will happen with their relationship, whatever it was?
> 
> -Naruto, as ever, is the eternal sunshine boy…and for once, it seems that he is inspiring the big sister he’s looked up to for so long.
> 
> NEXT TIME: Kaiya and Kakashi find that they couldn’t avoid each other even if they tried…tension rises between Naruto and Sasuke…and Kaiya gets some advice from an unlikely source.
> 
> Stay tuned!
> 
>  
> 
> **Other places to find KitsMits:**
> 
>  
> 
> [DeviantArt](https://www.deviantart.com/kitsmits) for TUTN-related pics by me (and others), among other things! (Including some pics of a modern-day AU AND a fantasy AU Kaiya ;) )
> 
> [Tumblr](https://kitsmits.tumblr.com/) for random posts, occasional headcanons, some TUTN "extra" scenes, and just talking to you all! 
> 
> And if you’d like to support this four-plus-year-long-and-still-going project of mine, consider buying me a [Ko-fi](https://ko-fi.com/kitsmits) ;) I actually do some of my best work at coffee shops - easier to focus than at home, and a nice change of scenery.


	17. Calibration

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who's commented so far, and to those who've left Kudos! You are awesome, don't let anyone tell you differently ;)
> 
> HUGE thank yous to [ItyGirl](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Itygirl), Silverfist88 (aka Silverhawk), [Kmkibble75](https://www.deviantart.com/kmkibble75), and Strwbrry for their creative support, and for being awesome friends! They were especially helpful in getting me through some monumental slumps. Ity has her own amazing stories going, by the way: [Pain and Hope](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16425116/chapters/38456822). Check it out and leave her some love!

“ _ Oof!” _

 

The air rushed from Kaiya’s lungs as she hit the ground hard. Before Gorou could follow through, she rolled aside and got back on her feet, slashing at his midsection. Gorou easily deflected the blow. Her muscles burned from the extra weights she’d worn for training, making her movements slower than normal.

 

“You sure you wanna use those?” Gorou asked, backing up a few paces. “Maybe something a little lighter-”

 

“No, this is fine,” Kaiya insisted, swiftly wiping sweat from her brow. “I won’t get faster if I don’t actually challenge myself, right?”

 

“Fair point.” 

 

He let her come at him again, crouched and braced to grab her. Kaiya feinted to the side, aiming her kunai hilt at the base of his neck. He ducked out of the way and tried to sweep her leg; she hopped back, then launched a flurry of blows to keep him on the defensive. Gorou may not have been as fast as she, but he knew her tactics; he dodged most of her blows, sustaining minimal damage and maneuvering her into a lock.

 

“Yield yet?”

 

“No!”

 

Making her body limp, Kaiya slipped out of his hold and delivered a sharp jab to his midsection. It was like hitting a brick wall, but it was enough to let her reposition; she twisted, dodging around his attempt to grab her again and delivering a more useful strike to his throat with the hilt of her kunai. He stumbled back, one hand coming to his neck - she’d only hit hard enough to make breathing tricky, not impossible - but he still caught her ensuing kick and managed to flip her, one-handed, to the ground.

 

“All right, enough, you two.” Hikaru walked up to the panting pair making a ‘time-out’ signal.

 

“Hey,” Gorou wheezed, one hand still on his now-sore throat. “‘Bout time you joined us. We started a couple hours ago!” 

 

“I told you I might not make it.”

 

“You’re gonna get all flabby if you keep ditching, ya know.”

 

“Shut up.”

 

Kaiya sighed in relief as she let the various weights she wore drop to the ground. She was covered in sweat; she hadn’t trained with weights in a couple of years and her body wasn’t used to them. It felt good to be challenged again, though - the endorphins coursing through her blood kept her energy high, and she was certain that after a couple minutes’ breather she’d be ready to start up again. “Anything good on your end?”

 

“Not much,” Hikaru sighed, crossing his arms and squinting in the mid-morning sun. “There’s not much precedent for cases of ninja orphans without a clan or other guardian. Normally, any records associated with them would be released to their clan, remaining family, or guardian - of course, you had none of those, so it’s entirely possible that the Council created entirely new guidelines for your case.”

 

“Great,” Kaiya groaned. “So good to know that they really  _ were _ making special hoops just for me and Naruto.”

 

Hikaru rubbed his eyes. “I know this isn’t what you want to hear right now, but consider how…unique your cases are.”

 

“Yeah, really unique,” she snapped. “We weren’t even allowed to  _ have _ a guardian. They let me be an  _ amnesiac _ at age five! And for what? For our ‘protection?’ Seriously?”

 

Letting out a small sigh, Hikaru shook his head. “Okay. Not going to argue with you about that right now. I was right, though - you should be able to request anything on the Uzumaki, and they’d have to turn it over to you. Not to keep, but definitely to use. Of course, that assumes that you make that part of your identity public.”

 

Kaiya nodded, chewing the inside of her cheek. She hadn’t decided yet on how much to reveal about her identity. “And Danzo?”

 

He shook his head. “Shimura Danzo…he’s been on the Council for decades. About five years ago, he retired to his clan’s old estate in the mountains. No one really heard from him until he came back after Sandaime’s death.”

 

Gorou straightened from a hamstring stretch. “Weird that he retired though, isn’t it? ‘Specially since none of the other Elders ever did.”

 

“Not necessarily,” Hikaru mused. “Sandaime technically retired when he handed the hat off to Namikaze Minato - to your father, Kaiya,” he amended with a nod.

 

Kaiya hummed thoughtfully. “So he retired and came back when the village was in crisis. Okay. It’s just…I dunno, he seems… _ different _ from the other Elders.”

 

“‘Cuz he didn’t try to interrogate you and actually supported something you suggested?” Gorou asked bluntly.

 

Her mouth twitched toward a frown, a bit of heat rising in her neck. “Not just that. It’s…I dunno.”

 

Hikaru crouched to the grass beside them. “He isn’t easy to research, I’ll say that. Granted, I was working mostly through what village records I can access, but there isn’t much written about him.”

 

“Word of mouth it is, then,” Kaiya sighed. “Thanks, though.”

 

“Any time. How are things on your end? Any progress with those records about your father?”

 

She shrugged. “The archive workers have had their hands full, and as a Chunin, I’m not  _ allowed _ to just peruse at my leisure. I was told to come back tomorrow - wish me luck.”

 

“Luck.”

 

They resumed training, this time with ninjutsu allowed. Kaiya couldn’t help but grin every time she felt her chakra flow through her arms and mold to her hand signs; ever since the Chakra Bite, she’d been much more aware of her energy’s flow, and much more appreciative of its renewed function. She’d even had Hyuga Takeshi check her tenketsu points to be sure; he’d announced, without hiding his astonishment, that her entire tenketsu system was in better shape than almost any he’d seen before. He assumed that it was thanks to Tsunade’s healing prowess.

 

She didn’t correct him.

 

Later, physically exhausted and sweaty from the training session, Kaiya returned to her apartment for a much needed shower wondering what to do with the rest of her day. She’d been by the mission assignment office daily, but they never had anything for her. It was strange, given the village’s lack of personnel; now that she was in perfect health again, she’d have thought that her schedule would be saturated with assignments. A niggling voice in the back of her mind said that this was being done on purpose, just like the lies, just like every other measure taken for her ‘protection.’ She tried to be rational; it was probably just paranoia, just her wounded pride and dislike for the Elders making her think this way.

 

Besides, it meant more time to train, research, and get more answers. There was one particular trip she’d been putting off; perhaps it was time she just get it over with.

 

* * *

 

The orphanage was quiet, the children ensconced in their mid-afternoon studies and chores. Kaiya slipped in through the back, not wanting to distract them with her presence. She made her way down the familiar halls almost by feel, swiftly and silently passing classroom doors without disturbing the goings-on inside. 

 

Rounding a corner, she paused; there, that little alcove by the broom closet - that was where she used to huddle in tears when she struggled with her memory. An image flashed through her mind: a kind, pale face framed by ashen hair and round glasses…a soft, encouraging smile…

 

“ _ C’mon, Kaiya-chan - it’ll be story time soon!’ _

 

Kaiya took a deep breath and looked away. It was harder to deny Kabuto’s story when memories of him sprouted from her own mind...and she wasn’t sure how much she wanted it to be true. 

 

So far, Kabuto had been right about everything - her parents, her clan heritage, her chakra’s abilities, the lies... If he was also telling the truth about why he left the orphanage, that meant there was an even darker side to Konoha that she wasn’t sure she was ready to face. 

 

She bit her lip and continued down the hallway. Whatever the truth was, she had to face it. 

 

A familiar sound came from inside the nursery as she passed by, making her pause. There hadn’t been any babies in the orphanage for a few years; peacetime meant fewer parent-killing disasters, and generally when such a young child was orphaned, there was someone else in the community to look after them.

 

Peeking inside, Kaiya saw a squirming lump in one of the formerly abandoned cribs and immediately crept toward it. Kicking off a soft, well-worn blanket was, indeed, a baby - probably only a few months old, just waking up from a nap. Kaiya recognized the clothes as the same ones Naruto and many other boys had worn at that age.

 

“Hey there,” she cooed softly as the baby whimpered and squirmed. She reached in and picked him up, securing him in her arms with practiced ease. “Hey you…whatcha doing?”

 

The baby’s eyes opened, squinting their black depths up at her. He peered at her for a moment before his eyes began following the subtle sway of her long bangs. A pudgy hand reached up and grasped a crimson lock, pouty lips stretching into a toothless smile.

 

Kaiya smiled down at the boy, feeling lighter with his soft, trusting weight in her arms. How long had it been since she held a baby? For a moment, her nerves and doubts melted away, and she allowed herself to be as absorbed in the baby’s presence as he was with hers.

 

Scurrying footsteps sounded in the hallway; Kaiya turned just in time to see Keiri, the plump brunette warden, stop at the doorway, one hand clutching her heaving chest.

 

“Oh, Kaiya-chan, it’s just you,” Keiri panted, her features relaxing. “Dear me, you do know how to sneak around…”

 

“You were expecting someone else?” Kaiya teased with a raised brow.

 

Keiri’s gaze quickly flicked to the side. “Er - no, just…you should really let us know when you’re coming, young lady!”

 

Kaiya’s playful smile melted away. Keiri had never been very good at lying, though she rarely had occasion to do so. Seeing her discomfort at what should have been an innocuous inquiry made Kaiya’s neck prickle.

 

Hoping to set the warden at ease, she smiled again at the dark-eyed bundle in her arms. “So who’s this handsome fellow?”

 

It worked. Keiri relaxed, coming forward and telling her about the orphanage’s various new arrivals. The Suna-Oto invasion had created many new charges, unfortunately; they weren’t quite as full as they’d been in the past, but there were certainly more populated than they had been in years.

 

“Since the Kyuubi attack, I guess?” Kaiya asked casually.

 

Keiri flinched. “I guess you  _ would _ have learned about that…we weren’t supposed to talk about it, you know.”

 

“I know,” she assured the woman. “But yeah - I do know about it now. And…I think I’m starting to remember some things from back then, too. Actually, I wanted to ask you about some of it - I’m not sure if I’m actually remembering things or just imagining them.”

 

Keiri’s brows shot up. “Of course, Kaiya-chan - whatever I can do.”

 

A short time later, the two women sat with steaming cups of tea in the wardens’ office as Kaiya described a woman with glasses and a kind smile. She kept details purposely vague - she was supposed to have remembered this on her own, not through a jutsu used on her by someone who might have been from here. No…if Kabuto’s story was true, then Keiri would fill in the blanks for her.

 

“You’re remembering Mother, then,” Keiri murmured, her shoulders drooping. “I’m not surprised it took you so long to remember her - she said herself that your injuries might affect your memory for some time. Even after she was gone, you still had some trouble.”

 

A chill crept down Kaiya’s spine. Mother  _ had _ existed, then. “I remember something she used to have me do, something to exercise my memory, I think - running messages? But it wasn’t on the orphanage grounds. There were tents, I think…”

 

Keiri gave a deep sigh. “That…was a time in the orphanage’s past that we, thankfully, have not had to repeat. Our funding wasn’t always so stable, so Mother came up with a way to get what we needed. She was a talented healer, and most of us have some medical training, of course, so we opened a healing station on the main road.”

 

“She was a healer? Like - a medic-nin?” 

 

Keiri’s eyes flicked to the side. “I don’t know about ‘nin,’ but yes, I suppose it was medical ninjutsu she used…” 

 

Mother had been a Shinobi, then - and Keiri didn’t want to discuss that. Kaiya switched back to her own past. “So I was…a messenger?”

 

“It was Mother’s idea,” Keiri nodded, visibly relieved at the shift in topic. “We weren’t sure it would help, but you never complained.”

 

“I wasn’t the only one,” Kaiya pressed. “I remember Urushi-kun was at the tents, too - and there was another person, another boy…I think he had glasses too, but I’m not sure…”

 

Keiri again averted her eyes, her face paling. When she answered, her voice was oddly strained with a forced, thin buoyancy. “Yes…yes, there was a boy like that. He went with Mother when she left - to be a traveling medic, I believe. Such a sweet boy, it was sad to see him go.”

 

“I remember,” Kaiya offered. “He used to help me out a lot. Made me feel like…” She searched the myriad of emotions she’d experienced under Kabuto’s jutsu for the most honest description. “…like I belonged.”

 

Keiri nodded, her lips pursing as if she was trying to hold something painful inside. “Yes. You two…you were inseparable.”

 

Her mouth went dry. “What was his name?”

 

She wasn’t sure what she was expecting, or what she wanted to hear. Even if the name was different, there was already enough to corroborate Kabuto’s story, and Keiri’s obvious discomfort around the subject spoke volumes.

 

Even so, it took every ounce of her considerable training to not show recognition when Keiri uttered the name: “Kabuto…we called him Kabuto.”

 

Kaiya nodded, keeping her tone neutral. “That’s right…jeez, I still have trouble with names, I guess! But it’s good to hear that he and Mother still have each other.”

 

Keiri wouldn’t meet her gaze. “Mm. Yes…it’s good.”

 

Definitely time to change the subject. “So how have things been since the invasion? It looks like you weren’t hit by it, thank goodness…”

 

Keiri relaxed as they moved on to other topics, though Kaiya had trouble keeping her focus in the present for the rest of the conversation. Draining her second cup of tea, she thanked Keiri for her time and pulled a slip of paper from her pocket.

 

“I know I haven’t really been able to contribute over the years,” she started, unfolding the slip and sliding it across the desk. “But…I am grateful for all the orphanage did for me, and for Naruto, and the other kids.”

 

Keiri’s eyes widened when she saw the check and she immediately brought her hands up in protest. “You don’t have to-”

 

“I want to,” Kaiya insisted, pressing it into her hand. “Call it peace of mind for me. I want to know that there is a safe place for kids who have nowhere else to go, you know? And…it’d be good to know that you don’t have to resort to medical tents again, or anything else to keep this place going.”

 

Keiri’s cheeks colored as she accepted the check. “Thank you, Kaiya-chan. I promise we’ll put it to good use.”

 

* * *

 

The whole way back to the main village, Kaiya struggled to reconcile what she’d learned. So it was true - Kabuto  _ had _ been at the orphanage with her,  _ had _ been a close friend...had been a good person back then. Then he’d been taken...and eventually made to kill the person he looked up to the most. 

 

Her heart ached for the boy in her memories, the one she recalled with increasing clarity. How he had changed, and all because he’d been trying to protect  _ her _ . Yet at the same time, she saw the man he’d become - a man she couldn’t quite bring herself to trust, for all the honesty he’d shown. 

 

He may have been the one to reveal the lies around her, but he’d also stalked and kidnapped her. Besides, so long as he was on the side of Orochimaru - someone who’d nearly killed her brother, who’d attacked her home, who threatened another person she loved - he was the enemy. There. That was simple. 

 

She had never longed for simplicity so much. 

 

However...there was a complication involved. Kabuto had been  _ taken _ as a child - taken by an organization in Konoha itself, one that apparently turned children into...spies? Assassins? Was that really all that different from something like Anbu, though? 

 

Yes, she decided. It was different because children had less of a choice in the matter. Kabuto had been forced into a horrible life - one that had apparently been meant for her. She had  _ chosen _ to go to the Academy, had been given plenty of ‘outs’ even as a Genin, had been able to choose the life she now led. What this ‘Root’ had done to Kabuto, using and discarding him for a job he hadn’t even chosen...that, she could not abide, no matter his current allegiance. 

 

She had to make sure that if Root still existed, they wouldn’t drag any more children into the sort of life Kabuto had been forced into. The donation to the orphanage was a small step toward that end, but she had to  _ find _ the organization to do much else. 

 

Should she go to Tsunade about this? Maybe...but then she’d have to explain how she knew about Root in the first place, which meant explaining Kabuto. Tsunade seemed to be on her side, but she was the Hokage now. The Hokage put the village before anything else. If Kaiya showed even the slightest empathy toward an enemy spy, who was to say that Tsunade wouldn’t see that as a shift toward disloyalty? 

 

And...what if Tsunade consulted the Elders? If  _ they _ found out Kaiya was in any way associated with an enemy spy...her stomach churned, remembering a very long night five years before. No. She didn’t want the Elders knowing what she ate for breakfast, let alone that she had anything even remotely resembling sympathy for the enemy. 

 

Besides, Root had apparently been around for a while, possibly with Sandaime’s approval. If Kaiya came along accusing a still-possibly-fictional organization of crimes against the village, at best she’d sound crazy. At worst, she’d be incarcerated or deemed a threat herself. She didn’t know enough about ‘Root’ yet to prove they were a threat. 

 

She had to learn more. 

 

So deep in thought was she that Kaiya nearly overlooked a sulking Naruto passing right by her. The blond wore an uncharacteristically sour expression, but one that she recognized as having to do with a certain dark-haired teammate of his. “Whoa - what’s up?”

 

“That bastard, Sasuke, that’s what!” Naruto growled, seeming to take little notice of who he was even complaining to at first. “I swear, he’s totally out of hand!”

 

Alarmed, Kaiya reached out and stopped him from barreling past her. “Slow down -what happened now?”

 

Naruto huffed and crossed his arms. “We were on a mission, first one since he got outta the hospital, an’ it was totally boring cuz even after the whole thing with the Chunin Exams we’re still just Genin but Ebisu said we had to do it, ‘cuz it was work that had to be done-”

 

“Ebisu? What about Kakashi?”

 

“Bah, he’s apparently too good for this stuff right now,” Naruto growled, flapping his hand. “‘Needed for dangerous missions,’ right! I bet he passed us off onto that idiot Ebisu ‘cuz he just wanted to read his stupid porn!”

 

“ _ Hey, _ ” Kaiya admonished. Kakashi wasn’t exactly her favorite person at the moment, but she doubted that he was slacking off when the village was so low on qualified personnel. “Everyone is pulling extra weight right now, you know that. High-ranking Jonin especially. So what’s going on with you and Sasuke?”

 

“Fine,” he grumbled, looking like he swallowed a particularly tart lemon. “Well, Sakura an’ me wound up doing like, all the work, ‘cuz Sasuke-teme was just too good for it! He kept complaining that he had to be training, and this was all a waste, an’ - argh! I mean, I wanna be training too, an’ I even tried to get him to train some earlier this week, but  _ nooo, _ apparently I’m not good enough for that either! An’ you know what he did today? He  _ left! _ He freakin’  _ left _ the mission right in the middle, sayin’ that it was stupid and he didn’t have time for it!”

 

Kaiya’s brows shot up. “He left?” That didn’t sound like Sasuke - and neither did the constant, vocal complaining, though she suspected that was mostly Naruto’s own embellishment. “What did Ebisu do?”

 

“He said he was gonna report him, but me an’ Sakura-chan convinced him not to.” Naruto groaned loudly. “I don’t even know why I bothered sticking up for him, ya know? Sakura-chan keeps sayin’ stuff like, ‘Oh, he’s just had a hard time’ - so what?! We’ve all had a hard time, haven’t we? I mean, yeah, that mission was boring as heck, but you don’t just abandon it ‘cuz of that!”

 

Kaiya frowned and rubbed her forehead. “Look…try to find Kakashi when you can and tell him what happened. I’ll see if I can find Sasuke, ‘kay?”

 

“Yeah! Yeah! An’ when you do, give him a smack upside the head, Nee-chan! Man, he makes me so freakin’ mad!” He stomped off toward his own apartment, but stopped when he reached the door. Glancing back at her, he suddenly looked doubtful, worrying his bottom lip and creasing his brow. “Is…is he okay? I mean…he was always an ass, but…he was never like this before…”

 

Before Itachi, she mentally finished. Before the coma. “I’ll talk to him. In the meantime…probably best to give him some space. And it sounds like you need to cool off, too.”

 

He scowled, though it came out more like a pout, then grumbled something about Sasuke being a ‘stupid chicken-butt-head’ and slouched into his apartment.

 

Kaiya sighed heavily and passed a hand over her eyes. Changing course, she set out to find Sasuke. 

 

* * *

 

Energy crackled down his arm. He opened his eyes, his Sharingan showing him a world that never stood still. Even the stationary targets fluctuated with the ambient flow of chakra; anyone else might have found the sensation dizzying, disorienting…but he was an Uchiha. He was a true heir of these eyes and their power. This was his birthright, what he was meant for.

 

The faceless target warped in his mind, the shape it took making his blood pulse sharply. Those eyes…they mocked him with their emptiness, their cold contempt, silently challenging him to try, just  _ try _ to land a blow.

 

With a feral cry and a burst of chakra, Sasuke shot forward, his speed surely approaching that of the lightning that encased his arm. His skin peeled and blistered from the fury of it, but he plunged his arm through the target without hesitation. Wood and straw exploded around him; he didn’t just hit his target, he  _ decimated _ it.

 

And still those eyes mocked him from the depths of his mind; still that cold, flat voice whispered in his ear.

 

_ You are weak. You don’t have enough hatred…and you never will. _

 

Panting and growling, he swiped his arm across the remains of the target, splintering what was left of it with blow after furious blow until nothing was left but a scattering of rubble.

 

He was out of breath, at his limit for the day. He’d used the Chidori twice on top of a few Katon jutsu and the demands of his Sharingan; if Kakashi were here, he’d warn him against continuing and remind him of the danger of over-exertion.

 

But Kakashi wasn’t here - and he needed  _ more _ . More stamina, more power, more strength.

 

His neck tingled in invitation. The Juin whispered to him, tempting him with promises of everything he needed. It was right there, ready to assist him if he’d just allow it…no. The last time that thing had gotten even a little bit loose, it had paralyzed him.

 

However…that time, it had been an involuntary reaction, and he’d been afraid. Before then, there was the time in the Forest of Death, when he first received the mark…it had done something else to him, something that made him feel more powerful than he’d even felt before…

 

What if there was a way to harness  _ that _ part of the mark?

 

The idea tugged at him until he closed his eyes, focusing on the faint throb that had accompanied the Juin since it was sealed away by Kakashi and Kaiya. The seal around it blocked him at first, a gatekeeper on duty, but this was  _ his _ body. This was  _ his _ will - and so the seal made the smallest of openings for him, allowing him to peek through the bars and approach the quietly writhing mass within.

 

The moment he touched it, the Juin seeped readily into his system, and he felt it poke and prod at locks he didn’t even know his body had. It was unlocking energy - his energy, energy that his body had denied him just moments before. He was sure of it: this was  _ his _ chakra,  _ his _ power, and all the Juin had done was open the gate.

 

Power flooded into his system, intoxicating and invigorating even as his skin burned with the mark’s spread. He opened his eyes, and it was as though his Sharingan could see even  _ more _ than before, see farther, in sharper detail. His entire body felt the ebb and flow of chakra around him, so that he was aware of every twitch of grass, every leaf disturbed by a bird’s landing, every crawling ant within the field…

 

It was  _ incredible _ .

 

He looked at his hand: the faint blisters along his skin from the Chidori healed before his eyes…but his arm was now covered in the pitch-black blotches of the spreading Juin. Something beneath his skin crawled - no,  _ slithered _ through his system, promising him this and more if he would just finish the job and release it fully. Power like he could scarcely imagine…potential he was hardly aware of…

 

Someone was coming. He felt their presence as clearly as he felt a grasshopper lazing on a blade of grass nearby. No malicious intent, not even trying to hide their presence - but he couldn’t let them see him like this. He quickly pushed the Juin back; it was surprisingly easy to convince it to return to its cage, though he had the distinct sensation of it saying,  _ For now. _

 

For now.

 

The energy it unlocked also dissipated, much to his frustration. He struggled not to sway from the sudden wave of dizziness, his Sharingan automatically fading as his chakra failed to support it any longer.  _ Damn it, _ he cursed, clenching his jaw as the soft sound of footsteps reached his ears. He wanted that power back - needed it!

 

“Sasuke,” called a familiar, female voice.

 

Sasuke groaned. It was Kaiya. Of course it was Kaiya. How she found him...he didn’t care. He made his face impassive as he turned to face her, biting back an annoyed grimace. “What?”

 

Kaiya’s brow was creased as she fixed him with a troubled stare. “I heard you left your mission today.”

 

He openly scowled. “Naruto should mind his own business.”

 

“It’s his business when his teammate abandons a commitment.”

 

“It’s not  _ your _ business.”

 

“ _ You’re _ my business,” she shot back. “Sasuke, I’m worried about you. I know you’re frustrated-”

 

“You don’t know anything,” he growled.

 

“I know that abandoning a mission is grounds for disciplinary action,” she said. “Trust me, that mission may have been boring, but you do  _ not _ want the consequences of leaving it. Be glad that your teammates stuck up for you and convinced Ebisu not to report it.”

 

Sasuke’s brow twitched. Part of him was dumbfounded; Sakura, he could imagine making some excuse for him…but Naruto?

 

The shock quickly turned sour. Naruto…what gave him the right to defend him? He didn’t need the blond’s help, and he sure as hell didn’t need his pity - that was what this was, wasn’t it? Because of what happened at the inn, because he’d traveled with a Sannin, because he’d beaten Gaara, Naruto thought he was somehow superior!

 

He heard Kaiya sigh. “Sasuke…what’s going on? Talk to me. Please. I am trying to understand.”

 

She sounded tired. Well, if he was such a burden, why wouldn’t she just leave him alone?!

 

“Why?” he asked aloud. “Why does it even matter to you? We’re not family. You’re just someone who was involved with…” His fists clenched. “I don’t need your pity, or your charity, or whatever else it is you think I need. What I do need is for everyone to stop getting in my way!”

 

“We’re not trying to get in your way,” she pleaded. “We’re trying to help you! So what’s going on? Is it the Juin?”

 

He scoffed. “You mean, am I under Orochimaru’s control? I’m not. I’m just seeing things more clearly than I have in a long time.”

 

There was a pregnant pause. “And what do you see?”

 

That he’d learned all he could from Kakashi. That the village was holding him back with these inane missions. That if he stayed here, he’d be forced to jump through hoop after hoop in order to advance in strength. The Academy, the Chunin Exams, heck, even the ranking system - it was all just labels, unnecessary and arbitrary. It didn’t matter if he was a Genin or the Hokage himself; if he didn’t have the power to accomplish his goals, he was nothing.

 

He said none of that to Kaiya - she wouldn’t understand. She was too much a part of that system to realize how ridiculous it was. She still saw him as the weak, crying kid who needed looking after. She didn’t really care about him or his goals; she just wanted another fake family member, something to fill the voids in her own life.

 

Clearly not satisfied with his silence, she filled it with her own softened voice. “You don’t need to do everything alone. And I know this isn’t just a vengeance thing - not anymore. That day, when  _ he _ came back - I saw you. You didn’t go after him; you went to protect Naruto, someone important to you. In that moment, when push came to shove, warning Naruto meant more to you than finding Itachi. Doesn’t that tell you something?”

 

Something tugged in his chest, just behind his ribs, though he did his best to ignore it. It did tell him something, something he’d been turning over in his head since waking up - but he doubted Kaiya would like his answer, so he stayed quiet.

 

She sighed sadly. “You have important people all around you, Sasuke. Protecting them, fighting for and with them - hell, even competing with them has made you stronger this past year than you’ve ever been before. Whatever you may think, I think you’ve grown  _ because _ of them, and you’ll continue to do so.” She turned to leave. “My door is still open…just so you know. Anytime.”

 

After she left, he sagged. Was she right?  _ You don’t have to do everything alone… _ but if anything, that afternoon at the inn had proved the opposite to him. He remembered the blinding rage upon hearing Itachi’s name, but also the panic when he realized it was Naruto being threatened, not him. The fear that Itachi would take yet another important person from him. The humiliation at how easily Itachi had subdued and beaten him, how uninterested he’d been while doing so…

 

She said he’d gotten stronger this past year, but had he, really? He knew more jutsu. He was faster, and his taijutsu was certainly better than it had been. But none of it was enough to beat  **_him_ ** \- not yet.

 

And then there was Naruto. Sasuke’s jaw and fists clenched. Loud, obnoxious, loser Naruto, who’d somehow managed to best Gaara when he couldn’t, who got to study with a legendary Shinobi for seemingly no reason…how was it possible that he had gotten so strong, so quickly? No. It wasn’t possible. Sure, he wasn’t a total loser anymore, but there was no way he was anywhere close to matching Sasuke.

 

_ You are the Uchiha, exceptional, a roaring flame amidst flickering candles. _

 

If he couldn’t even beat  _ Naruto _ , how could he hope to stop Itachi?

 

Sasuke closed his eyes. When he opened them again, they glowed red, the two tomoe in each iris an angry pit in the sea of crimson. No. He could handle Naruto - but he couldn’t simply keep telling himself that. He had to prove it…and prove it, he would.

 

* * *

 

Kaiya bit back a groan of despair when the archive attendant told her that no, there was no record of a jutsu known as ‘Fuja Hoin’ in Konoha’s collection. The attendant suggested that she ask the Hokage or the Council about it; there were still some scrolls that only the highest officials had access to, and they were kept elsewhere. Forbidden techniques and the like.

 

Trying not to get worked up over the setback, Kaiya made her way from the archive building to the Hokage Mansion and hoped that she’d be able to catch Tsunade alone for once. Lately it seemed that the new Hokage always had at least two people with her other than Shizune, and that didn’t count the probably Anbu presence in the shadows. She didn’t want Sasuke’s condition spread around unnecessarily; it would likely put him under a suffocatingly tight watch, if not just put on total lockdown. She knew what it was like to be under scrutiny, and doubted it would actually help improve his attitude.

 

She was certain that Sasuke’s behavior had to do with that Curse Mark, despite his claims. She’d seen that thing’s inner workings; the drastic takeover of body and will was only a small part of what it did. Its true nature was far more insidious, and, she feared, perhaps impossible to completely contain. The Fuja Hoin, the seal she and Kakashi had placed around it, kept its more active side at bay, but was it also keeping the subtle influence back? She needed to see the full formula to know for sure, needed to work with it and change it if necessary to make it more secure. She had to insist on being allowed to study Juinjutsu as well; how was she supposed to fight this thing for Sasuke if she didn’t know what she was up against?

 

The Elders would probably try to block her, she figured, already forming arguments in her head for why she should be allowed to study forbidden jutsu. Sandaime already had denied her that access…but he was gone, and she was less than inclined to trust his judgment when he’d kept her own  _ name _ secret from her. Tsunade might be more open to the idea, but it was nearly impossible to get a private audience with her.

 

As it turned out, it would be impossible on this day, too; she was in a delicate surgery and wouldn’t be out for hours.

 

Dammit!

 

Kaiya clenched and unclenched her hands several times to keep herself from letting out a frustrated screech. This was not the end of the world, Sasuke would be fine for another few hours while she waited, even if her brain insisted that no, this had to be taken care of  _ now _ or it would never be solved.

 

She was just turning around to leave when she came face-to-mask with an Anbu operative.

 

“Whoa!” She took a step back from the cloaked figure. “Do you guys  _ have _ to sneak up on people all the time? Is it part of the job description? Well, I guess it would be, but still…”

 

The figure silently held out a note. Kaiya took it with her eyes trained on the Anbu’s own, though their hood kept the mask’s holes completely in shadow. Why was an Anbu operative passing her notes, anyway?

 

The note was short, written in characters so straight and blocky that it almost looked more like typeset than handwriting.

 

_ Namikaze Kaiya - I may have what you are looking for. Follow my agent; he will escort you to my office. _

 

Her blood froze. So much about this just felt... _ off. _ An Anbu delivering a message like this? Normally she’d assume it was from the Hokage, but Tsunade was in surgery and Kaiya was standing directly outside of her office. Anbu were only supposed to answer to the Hokage...so who was this, and who were they working for? 

 

Kabuto’s warning came back to her mind:  _ There is an organization - very secretive, known only to those who deal directly with them. Think Anbu, except they aren’t constrained by ninja law and answer to no one but themselves. _

 

Well, having a masked agent who may or may not be Anbu hand her a note that told her to follow said agent to an unknown location certainly seemed to fit the bill. Or was she jumping to conclusions? Surely if ‘Root’ did exist, she wouldn’t have been invited in so directly. 

 

Whoever wrote this note had addressed her as  _ Namikaze _ \- her father’s surname. They knew who she was…only a small handful of people in the village were supposed to know. Was this someone she’d met?

 

There was a red stamp at the bottom - not a full name, but that of a clan:  _ Shimura _ . Shimura…as in Shimura Danzo, the Council member? Well, that explained how he knew her given name, Kaiya thought, relaxing the slightest bit. Why was he inviting her to his office? What did he mean by ‘I may have what you are looking for?’

 

Glancing up at the masked escort, she made her decision.  _ Only one way to find out. _

 

The agent led her to a remote corner of Konoha’s territory north of Hokage Mountain. The area was uninhabited by Shinobi or civilians; a few moss-covered statuettes of ancient  _ kami _ were the only signs of civilization for a good two kilometers. Decayed leaves covered the barely marked path, but the agent before her followed it with a silent, sure gait. Kaiya’s skin prickled with each step they took. At one point, she spied a decrepit sign warning trespassers away, punctuated with the Anbu symbol. If she’d come upon it alone, she would have immediately turned around to avoid getting in the middle of a Black Ops exercise, but her escort simply kept moving forward.

 

Eventually, deep within the shadows of the forest, they came to a small clearing. Within it stood an old shrine that could have predated the village itself. Two large statues marked the entrance: On one side was a peaceful-looking figure that she recognized as a common representation of Ashura, the “father of Shinobi.” As was often the case, he was depicted as serene, with one hand raised before his chest in the “seal of confrontation,” two fingers extending upward. On the other side of the entryway stood a much more sinister-looking figure with multiple faces: Indra, the eternal rival of Ashura, usually associated with chaos and disruption. His many faces represented a duplicitous nature that led to his and Ashura’s constant clash.

 

That was just one of many interpretations of the two legendary men, though it was by far the most common. Kaiya had read several versions of their story; some leaned more toward the mythical while others claimed that they were historical figures. A few versions even suggested that they’d been brothers, or related in some way to the even older and more fantastic “father of chakra,” the Sage of Six Paths. Even civilians had their own interpretations of the stories, and some still viewed their temples as sacred places. 

 

The statues, like the building itself, were in a mild state of disrepair, enough to suggest that the place had been long abandoned. However, looking more closely, she noticed signs that the elements weren’t solely responsible for the wear. There were nicks in the wood and scratches in the paint that could only have been made by weapons; some marks were old and dulled by wind and rain, while others appeared freshly made.

 

This place was  _ not _ abandoned - it was simply allowed to appear so.

 

Kaiya kept her observations to herself as the agent brought her not through the main entry, but to the back. Under a well-made cover of dirt and leaves was another entrance; the agent performed a discreet series of hand signs just out of her view, though she guessed it was for some sort of barrier jutsu. He then led to an area just beneath the main hall. No natural light was allowed entry, but the room was meticulously clean; it wasn’t quite what she’d call ‘cozy,’ but it was the sort of place she could imagine spending hours pouring over ancient texts. Wax candles and oil lamps lit the space - no electricity, so no way to find it on the grid. As her eyes adjusted, she saw shelves of books and scrolls and a low table with a cushion on either side for kneeling. A small, wood-burning stove in the corner held a steaming kettle, though she couldn’t recall seeing any smoke emitting from the building outside. At the other end of the room entered a familiar figure.

 

Shimura Danzo seemed perfectly at home in this shadowy ‘office,’ the firelight playing off his features in a way that made him seem like a moving fixture of the place.

 

“Namikaze-san,” he greeted, his gravelly voice swallowed by the sparse furnishings and thick walls. “Thank you for coming. Please, have a seat.”

 

He pointed the end of his cane to one of the cushions. Kaiya glanced to her escort, but the masked agent had already disappeared without a trace. A shiver ran down her spine; they seemed alone, yet she couldn’t shake the feeling that this was not the case.

 

“Thank you for having me,” she replied in a polite tone, kneeling onto the cushion as she continued to case the room as discreetly as possible. One exit behind her, one possibly where Danzo had come from…

 

“I imagine this is probably not what you expected when I asked you here,” Danzo commented from near the stove. He poured steaming water into a cast iron teapot. “Genmaicha?”

 

It took her a second to realize he was asking her about tea. “Oh - yes, please. I love genmaicha.”

 

“As do I.” With a deftness that belied his otherwise frail appearance, he carried the pot one-handed to the small table and sat across from her. “As I was saying - I imagine this seems rather strange. I’ll admit, I’ve always had a soft spot for the more historical structures in Konoha. This was one of my preferred offices from when I was on the Council, so I gladly took it up again upon my return.”

 

“It’s…cozy,” she offered. 

 

His mouth twitched upward. “No need to be polite. It is dark and secretive, not to most people’s taste. It suits me perfectly well, though.”

 

At least he was self-aware. Kaiya made her outward appearance as calm and polite as possible, coaching her muscles to relax. For now, she’d keep her suspicions to herself and see where this meeting went. It could be nothing, it could be something - either way, the best option seemed to be to play along for the time being. “So…why did you call me here, sir?”

 

He poured the first of the tea into their cups. “I know that you have been looking into the Uzumaki, and that this afternoon you sought information on a particular A-rank Fuinjutsu.”

 

The back of her neck stiffened. Yes, she’d been to the records and archive rooms several times that week, but until she spoke with Sasuke she hadn’t tried finding anything specific like the Fuja Hoin. He’d learned of that within minutes of her failed search. Thank goodness she hadn’t tried looking up the jutsu Kabuto used on her yet. “You’re well-informed.”

 

“It is my duty to be so,” Danzo replied. “Rest assured, it is hardly something I would wish to discourage you from doing. On the contrary: I know that Konoha’s resources are rather limited in those areas and wish to aid you.”

 

He reached to his side and pulled a scroll from the nearby shelf. Kaiya took it with a little hesitation, only looking down at the case once she’d retreated to her side of the table. The case was blank, no label to indicate what it contained; when she unrolled it, barely legible scrawl presented itself to her. It curved and swirled in ways that normal characters did not, punctuated at places by stylized kanji. She’d seen this style before, but not in long documents like this; no…she’d seen it in  _ seals. _

 

Danzo’s gravelly voice broke through her pondering. “That is perhaps the only scroll Konoha possesses that originated from Uzushiogakure no Sato.”

 

Kaiya’s eyes widened and shot up to meet his. Immediately, her grip on the scroll loosened to a lighter but still secure hold, as though handling a delicate artifact. Carefully unraveling it further, she tried to read the script. This wasn’t paper, she realized; it was more like fabric, perhaps even silk, making its age harder to determine. There was a common symbol for ‘unity,’ another for ‘change’…but there was no form to it, no indication of what its purpose was, or that it was even a seal at all. “This isn’t a jutsu, is it? There’s no shape - the layout is more like…”

 

“A manual,” Danzo confirmed. “Written in the Uzumaki’s particular style. The Uzumaki were a secretive clan, even by ninja standards, and they preferred their traditions over the changing fashions of the rest of the world. I have never seen their jutsu written down on a scroll; they taught their techniques directly from person to person, though it’s possible that they kept records in their own village. This is more of a guide to the interpretation of Fuinjutsu, at least from what I can tell.”

 

“A manual,” Kaiya whispered in wonder, barely able to contain her growing smile. “Where did you get this? Have you read it?”

 

“Some of it,” he conceded. “Enough to create some of my own jutsu, though it hardly resembled an Uzumaki style. Perhaps there are elements of the coding that only another Uzumaki would understand.”

 

Kaiya turned the scroll over in her hands, doubt turning the corners of her mouth down. “I don’t know if that’ll mean much with me…I mean, I only found out a few weeks ago. It’s not like I know anything about  _ being _ an Uzumaki.”

 

Danzo gave a thoughtful hum. “Perhaps not yet…but there may be another way to connect to your heritage. Traveling to a place associated with one’s origin, I am told, can be of use.”

 

“But Uzushiogakure is off-limits.”

 

“The village is,” he agreed. “At least, officially speaking.”

 

Kaiya stared at the man for a moment. “What do you mean…’officially?’”

 

“We are Shinobi, Namikaze-san,” Danzo drawled. “Can you imagine such a place as Uzushio being truly left alone for decades by our kind? The knowledge and power that the Uzumaki hoarded would be temptation for anyone to break a simple treaty.”

 

She was reminded of her first conversation with Kabuto - he’d said something like this about Uzushio. “You’re saying people have tried.”

 

“Though as far as we can tell, no one has truly succeeded,” he confirmed. “If any village or organization had access to Uzushio, we would have seen a marked change in their abilities. No, I believe it is safe to assume that while many have tried, no one has yet been able to penetrate whatever lingering protection remains around Uzushiogakure.”

 

Kaiya frowned. “But then…how did it get destroyed in the first place? Whoever did it would have cleaned the place out and probably disabled the defenses. At least, that would make the most sense.”

 

“There is much we do not know about the Uzumaki, or their village,” Danzo stated, taking a sip from his tea. “It is possible that their invaders ‘bit off more than they could chew,’ so to speak. They may have managed to destroy the village and kill its people, but they may have also encountered something that kept them from reaping the spoils.”

 

“Guess that explains why no one came forward about it,” Kaiya murmured, mind turning. “If you’d just lost a lot of people in the invasion and didn’t even get to take anything…it wouldn’t exactly be a good strategy to come out and say ‘it was me.’ Uzushio was Konoha’s ally; we would’ve retaliated for something like that, right?”

 

“My thoughts exactly,” Danzo nodded, a faint tone of praise in his voice. “Of course, treaties now bar even Konoha from attempting to access Uzushiogakure - a smart move on the part of the other nations, I must admit.”

 

“Annoying, though,” Kaiya grumbled in to her tea.

 

Danzo laid down his cup. “I imagine it is especially so for you - it is your heritage, your birthright as an Uzumaki…which brings me back to the topic at hand.”

 

Kaiya perked up. “That’s right - you said there might be another way to…connect with my heritage?”

 

“Indeed.” Turning away from her, he reached to his shelf and pulled out another scroll - this time, a map of the Land of Fire, which he opened on the table between them. “There is a temple built by the Uzumaki, oh, perhaps a few centuries ago, or longer. That is where this scroll was found. I believe it was originally brought there by Uzumaki Mito; your mother brought it to the village after finding it there. She grew up without knowing her homeland very well, you see; its destruction occurred when she was a child.”

 

A pang struck through Kaiya’s chest. Her mother had lost her homeland as a child…not unlike how she had lost her past. Her eyes stung unexpectedly. It had been hard enough trying to fit in without a family; but as an outsider without a nation? She could barely imagine how lonely her mother must have been. 

 

“As it so happens,” Danzo continued, “the temple is within the Land of Fire’s territory, and therefore completely accessible to Konoha Shinobi…in theory.”

 

Kaiya’s heart raced as she leaned over the map. A place right in this country where she could learn more about the Uzumaki? Where her mother had been? In that moment, all thoughts of Sasuke or even Naruto and their seal-related issues were overshadowed by a sudden  _ need _ to go to this place, to connect with her mother in some way. “Where is it? Why doesn’t anyone know about it?”

 

“It fell into neglect and disrepair after the fall of Uzushiogakure,” he told her. “And no one has been able to access it since, well, since your mother’s death. There seems to be some sort of protection around the place so that only another Uzumaki can even find it. It seems to be growing weaker with time, though; I’ve had agents keeping an eye on the general area, and they’ve reported occasionally being able to see the temple, if only for a few seconds at a time. Yet once it is out of sight, they find it nearly impossible to pinpoint its location on a map.”

 

That sounded like a barrier jutsu mixed with genjutsu, she mused. There could be a condition built in to only allow people with certain genetics past; anyone lacking those markers would trigger some sort of disorienting illusion. 

 

As her mind raced with possibilities, Danzo rolled up the map and stood back up. “Considering how powerful the Uzumaki once were, I have little doubt that anything in that temple would be of great value, especially to Konoha’s enemies. It would be in our best interest to make sure that only Konoha has access to it, if anyone does. To that end…ah, forgive me, this is rather forward…”

 

“What is it?”

 

His mouth twitched upward again. “Just a few weeks ago, I would have given you this assignment directly, since we had no Hokage. This must go through Tsunade-hime first…but I would have  _ you _ go to the temple. We have never had a complete catalog of its contents, and I would greatly wish to see it secured properly. Of course, only an Uzumaki can access it…”

 

Kaiya was ready to jump up and start packing even as he trailed off. A connection to her ancestral clan - to her mother…and maybe there were even more scrolls like this one! She could finally learn more about her heritage, and she’d be helping Naruto and Sasuke at the same time! Heck, Naruto might even want to see the place for himself - he was an Uzumaki too, even if he’d never been interested in Fuinjutsu.

 

“I recommend deciphering that scroll first,” Danzo told her. “If you are able to do that, then you should be capable of accessing the temple. Take it with you - it’s yours by right, though I hope you’ll share your discoveries for the good of the village.”

 

“Of course,” she promised, carefully placing the scroll on a smaller storage seal from her pack. A quick hand sign, and it poofed safely away. “Thank you - thank you so much!”

 

He gave her a small nod. “My agent will escort you back to the village.”

 

The masked agent appeared near the entrance as Danzo spoke, reminding her of her initial discomfort and suspicions. She’d gotten so caught up in the idea of that temple, she’d forgotten how strange the circumstances of this meeting were. Kaiya hesitated before leaving with the escort, renewed doubt crossing her mind. She wanted to ask Danzo why he’d never come forward before about her identity, why he’d kept the secret when he seemed so in favor of her embracing it.

 

But if she asked…would he answer truthfully? How would she even know? She had to get to know him more first, discover just  _ why _ he was being so helpful. She didn’t want to put him on the defensive so early on, especially after he’d given her so much to work with. 

 

Besides...he might actually be able to help her. And if he happened to be a part of this ‘Root’ organization...better to cooperate so that she could get closer to it.

 

“Thank you for your help, Danzo-sama,” she repeated, giving him a small bow. “It does mean a lot to me…and…it’s nice to have someone to talk to about the Uzumaki.”

 

“It is my pleasure,” he replied. “I look forward to our next conversation, Namikaze-san.”

 

_ So do I, _ Kaiya thought as she blinked into the fading evening light.  _ So do I. _

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Show of hands: Who caught Kaiya’s hypocrisy in telling Sasuke that he doesn’t have to do everything alone? Yeah, she’s a little less than self-aware about that right now :P 
> 
> Recap Time!
> 
> Kaiya has pretty much confirmed Kabuto’s orphanage story. Yet at the same time, she’s not about to just trust him over that. Stalking and kidnapping, despite what pop culture may have you believe, isn’t exactly a turn-on. 
> 
> Sasuke, Sasuke, Sasuke. We got a peek into his angst-y mind, and hello, what’s this? It looks like it might not just be him in there anymore… How much is Sasuke, and how much is the Curse Mark? Whatever the answer to that is, he certainly seems to be ripe for the picking for a certain Snake nin…
> 
> Danzo. What’s his game? Why is he helping Kaiya learn more about her heritage? Send your thoughts and theories in the comments! ;) 
> 
> NEXT TIME: Kakashi’s back, and he and Kaiya finally have another chat...how do you think that’ll go? Meanwhile, Sasuke spirals out of control; and Kaiya gets a new mission.


	18. Manipulation of Elements

“ _I still don’t get it,” Gorou exclaimed as the team settled for a quick break on their journey home from a mission. “That guy we looked into - how does he have ANY followers? He’s a total nutjob!”_

 

“ _Seriously,” Kaiya grumbled. She was still rankled that when she’d talked to some of their target’s underlings, they’d brushed her off completely. “Bunch of misogynist pricks!”_

 

“ _I don’t understand how they can believe his rhetoric,” Hikaru agreed. “Especially when they have clear examples of capable women running businesses all around them. Their views are completely inconsistent with their reality.”_

 

“ _It’s a matter of perspective,” Yuuma explained, leaning back against a tree trunk. “That town has survived for a long time with very traditional values, but their economy tanked when their mine dried up. Other industries had to be brought in to keep the town surviving, and with that came new technologies, new ideas…new reasons for women in particular to take on roles that before were only held by men.”_

 

“ _Yeah, but I thought the town was actually doing_ better _because of all that,” Kaiya protested. “So what’s their deal? Do they_ want _the town to die?”_

 

_Yuuma shook his head. “Of course not. But whenever there is change, there is inevitable backlash. Remind me - have I talked to you three about human needs?”_

 

_The trio exchanged a wary look. This sounded like an incoming lecture, which none of them was in the mood for._

 

_Their silence must have given them away, because Yuuma smiled brightly. “Guess not! I’m surprised it hasn’t come up before now…well. What do humans need?”_

 

“ _Food?” Gorou grumbled. His stomach gurgled in agreement._

 

“ _Shelter,” Kaiya and Hikaru offered simultaneously._

 

_Yuuma nodded. “True, true. So generally speaking, things necessary for basic survival and a sense of security. Then what?”_

 

_The three preteens stared blankly at him, knowing that if they waited long enough, he’d just continue on his own._

 

_They were right - after a moment, he sighed. “They really should be teaching this at the Academy…Well, when the basics are covered, people look for more: community, a sense of belonging, prestige…But there’s something else, something that you could argue is just as important as food and shelter: Purpose. For some of the people in that town, their purpose was being threatened by progress.”_

 

“ _But that’s so stupid!” Kaiya exclaimed. “They’re better off now than they ever were!”_

 

“ _In terms of material comfort, sure - but these were men who for generations lived and died by those mines. Their reason for existing was to provide for their families and their town, and with the mines gone, they feel they can’t do that any longer. They’re in completely unfamiliar territory, faced with upheaval to the lifestyles and relationships they were used to. In other words, they’re losing their sense of purpose.”_

 

_Kaiya wasn’t convinced, and by the way the boys were sneering, they weren’t either._

 

“ _Think about it,” Yuuma pressed. “Why did each of you become Shinobi?”_

 

_Kaiya’s brow furrowed. The answer seemed obvious: she wanted to protect people that couldn’t protect themselves. That had always been the reason. It was as she’d told Itachi: being a Shinobi was something she could do._

 

“ _Most of us start out with a personal reason,” Yuuma continued. “Protecting something important-” He looked to Kaiya - “upholding a family tradition” - then to Gorou - “or even subverting that tradition.” He nodded to Hikaru. “Becoming a Konoha Shinobi provided a means to those ends, an outlet for that purpose. It filled a void, you could say. Groups like the one we found in that town? They offer something to fill the void in those people’s lives, be it their sense of belonging, or security, or even a reason for living. That’s why those men were so willing to overlook the gains and follow the word of a demagogue: he played on their passions and fears, defined a problem for them to focus on, then offered them a solution.”_

 

“ _Yeah, but Konoha’s not like that,” Gorou protested._

 

“ _Isn’t it?” Yuuma raised a brow. “We all have our individual reasons for being Shinobi, but we’re bound by a shared ideal. It even has a catchy name - the Will of Fire. But what happens if that purpose no longer works for us, or if we lose what we value most because of it?”_

 

_Kaiya blanched. What she valued most…it wasn’t some vague ideal, it was people. Naruto, the orphanage, her team…with a blush, she realized Itachi was on that list now, too. If something were to happen to them…if they were taken from her…_

 

_No. She clamped down hard on her emotions, trying to shut the painful thought out. She couldn’t lose them, she wouldn’t allow it! If she let herself imagine otherwise, she might as well just give up._

 

“ _I know that look,” Yuuma said softly. Kaiya looked up to see his warm, brown eyes darkened by sadness. “You don’t think it could happen - or you don’t want to think about it. But as Shinobi, we have a duty to face that terrible truth_ because _we have so much power at our disposal. If we lose our purpose…When there is a void, we naturally seek to fill it. There are people who prey on that tendency, who know how to twist it and make people do wonderful and horrible things because of it…and we are all susceptible to that. It’s like a virus, and the main defense we have against it is conviction - how strong our ‘why’ is. Knowing your ‘why’ helps you to keep moving, keep living, keep fighting even when you’ve lost everything else and the odds are against you…even when the world is telling you that you are wrong. If you don’t have that, you are a blank slate for anyone to draw upon.”_

 

* * *

 

Kaiya poured tirelessly over the Uzumaki scroll, translating symbol after symbol and trying to piece together what the odd text said. Some parts were straight kanji, others a more flowing and ancient dialect that she had only seen in a handful of seals. The legible text was made more difficult to read by how it was placed in the scroll. Paragraphs started in one column, only to continue two columns later; others seemed to read backwards, going left to right rather than right to left.

 

_The Five Elements form the basis of all relationships in nature…Earth, Metal, Water, Wood, Fire…They are the directions and the movement between them; the seasons and their changing; the senses of all living beings…_

 

The old Five Elements - not the Five Great chakra natures, but a more ancient philosophy that informed even the most basic Fuinjutsu. Not much was written about the old Elements anymore; most sources came from a few centuries ago at the latest.

 

_So does everything have an opposite: a Yin to Yang, a Dark and Light. For everything created, something is destroyed; for every life born, a death; for every thesis, an antithesis…_

 

“For every jutsu, a counter,” Kaiya murmured in agreement. That belief had helped her break through the Sound Four’s barrier during the invasion.

 

_Yet nothing is created that does not contain existing elements; nothing is destroyed that cannot be reformed in some way…_

 

Kaiya sighed. This was all information she knew already; variations of these lessons were in every Fuinjutsu text Konoha had. There had to be something more here, something beneath the surface…

 

Her eyes swept over the scroll. Why arrange the text in such a strange way? Normally, she’d have assumed a code, but there was no discernible pattern to the placement of the information. Besides, despite being in an ancient dialect and somewhat difficult to read, the text itself wasn’t indecipherable. Anyone with enough background in old dialects could figure it out with some effort.

 

“This was made by the Uzumaki,” she muttered to her empty apartment. “Masters and innovators of Fuinjutsu…freakin’ secretive bunch…”

 

On a hunch, Kaiya let a thin stream of chakra trickle from her finger over the scroll. Perhaps there was more to this scroll than met the eye.

 

_Fuinjutsu: Reveal!_

 

As her chakra spread over the scroll, she felt a telltale tug. Certain characters and symbols caught her eyes, standing out from the columns of text in a recognizable pattern.

 

It  _was_ a seal! The formula was embedded within the text - that was why its arrangement was so odd! As her chakra probed at the seal, she felt it respond, like parched soil slowly accepting the first drops of rain after a long drought. Kaiya pulled back in alarm before it could drink more of her energy. She’d expected there to be some combination of hand signs to unlock the seal, but the way it responded to her chakra…

 

“Could it be…” She cocked her head to the side, her lips tweaking upward as an idea struck her. “It couldn’t be that simple, could it?”

 

The Uzumaki wouldn’t want just anyone to be able to access their knowledge, that much was obvious. Yet this scroll was allowed to exist outside of their village…left in a temple that only other Uzumaki could access…so maybe Danzo was right, and only an Uzumaki could understand it fully. Maybe this seal was coded to only respond to Uzumaki chakra.

 

_Just a little,_ she decided.  _Enough to see what this thing’s about._

 

With a deep breath, she laid her hands on the scroll and directed her chakra into the ink once again. It drank it up slowly at first, tentatively, then with increasing urgency. Kaiya watched, enthralled, as the writing came alive, dancing across the white silk, coming apart and reforming into new characters.

 

_Manipulation of the Elements…_

 

As she read further, a smile spread across her face. Now  _this_ was something she could use. 

 

* * *

 

Two nights later, the administrative offices of Konoha were dark but for a few windows. The night clerks milled about without much interest; with the building so close to the center of the village, it was highly unlikely that anyone would infiltrate without setting off an alarm sooner.

 

Of course, they weren’t on the lookout for a fellow Konoha Shinobi.

 

Kaiya tightened her hood over her hair. With her chakra-masking seal activated, she had about two hours of near invisibility from Sensor-nin and dojutsu users. She already knew her way around the offices; a few covert trips during her early Chunin years had taught her the lay of the building, and not much had changed since then. One thing that had changed, though, was that the windows were no longer so easy to open from the outside. She’d need to use an actual door.

 

Going to the west side of the building, she found the back entrance with a seal tag slapped over its handle.  _Forbidden…_ it was a standard lock seal. She was familiar with the formula: if it was undone in any way other than the proper hand sign combination, it would tear and set off an alarm. Only the clerks knew the hand signs, and they now changed the combination daily - a practice set in place after her last little trip inside, years ago. 

 

Kaiya smirked at the memory. It was a bit flattering to be the reason for tightened security.

 

_Sorry, Sandaime-sama,_ she mentally apologized.  _I said I wouldn’t do this anymore…but you’re the one who held back from me._

 

She’d waited long enough for official permission, and it was getting her nowhere. Besides, if she waited for an attendant, there was a chance they’d only give her what someone else wanted her to read. At least this way she would know that nothing was being kept from her on purpose. Sure, records could be doctored, but there was something more honest about a piece of paper than there was about a person whose motives she didn’t know. She didn’t have to worry as much about a folder having a hidden agenda for her.

 

The door was clear; she flickered to it, keeping in the shadows. Kaiya didn’t know the proper combination - but if that scroll was to be believed, she didn’t have to.

 

Chakra flooded her fingertips. This was the tricky part, the part that had taken her the past two days to master: separating her chakra into five properties while allowing them to inform and interact with each other. They had to go in a particular order, had to be perfectly balanced before meeting the lock seal.

 

_Wood feeds Fire…Fire creates Earth…Earth bears Metal…Metal holds Water…Water nourishes Wood…_

 

_Five Elements Fuin!_

 

Pressing her fingers to the seal on the door, she immediately felt the initial push-back of the locking jutsu. She didn’t press it; if she tried to force her way through, the seal would simply double down and trigger the alarm. Instead, she gently met the seal’s elements with her own. Like a pick manipulating the pins in a lock, she modified her elements until they perfectly fit against the jutsu’s mechanisms. Finally, the lock gave way, tricked by her chakra into believing that the correct opening jutsu had been performed. The tag remained intact; the door unlatched.

 

It worked - she was in!

 

Slipping through the darkened hallways and dodging the occasional night clerk, Kaiya found the personnel records room. Another lock seal - another chance to use the Five Elements jutsu. She gently shut the door behind her and took out a small flashlight, holding it in her mouth as she rifled through the files.

 

_Namida…Namiheyo…Namikaze!_

 

Kaiya’s eyes widened when the first name she came across was not her father’s, Namikaze Minato…but her own.

 

_Namikaze Kaiya_

 

There was a folder about her? No…this must be for the ‘Namikaze Kaiya’ that perished on the night of the Kyuubi attack. The folder was so skinny she’d almost passed right by it. Handling it like a precious artifact, Kaiya carefully opened it.

 

_Certificate of Birth_

 

Something warm swept through her chest, filling her with an odd sense of nostalgia. She’d never seen her birth certificate before…Sandaime had claimed that it was one of many records lost during the Kyuubi attack. Yet here it was, under a name she’d only learned a month ago. The certificate listed basics like the date and time, her birth weight, her parents’ names and birthdates…they’d been so young when she was born! Her mother had only been a couple years older than Kaiya was now. Had they really married so early on?

 

The certificate also had the names of those in attendance. Sarutobi Biwako, midwife…a nurse whose name she didn’t recognize…wait -  _Jiraiya_ had been there, too? 

 

_I never saw him so terrified as when he held you for the first time…_ That’s what he’d told her about her father, she remembered. So he’d been there…Kaiya’s fingers clenched into the paper. How could he have abandoned them for so long?! 

 

She closed her eyes for a few seconds to calm down. It would do no good to get worked up right now; she had to keep at least a little alert in case anyone came by. Her brows furrowed as she scanned the rest of the certificate. There were a small handful of other words under the attendance section, but they hardly looked like names.  _Rat…Dog…Owl…_

 

Wait - were those…Anbu codenames? But why on earth would Anbu operatives have been there for her birth? If she’d been born after her father became Hokage, then it might make sense…but his appointment was still a few years away. So why…?

 

The document held no more answers, so Kaiya turned to the only other slip of paper in the folder. A chill ran down her neck.

 

It was her death certificate.

 

This was beyond surreal. She was standing in a locked office, reading about her own ‘death.’ How many people could claim to have done this?

 

According to the certificate, she’d been found by an unnamed Anbu operative under a fallen building and declared dead on the scene. The official cause was listed simply as ‘trauma.’ What made her frown, though, was that a significant portion of the certificate was blacked out. Where details should have been given about the circumstances of her alleged demise, there were simply black bars. Was it because of the gag order surrounding the Kyuubi attack?

 

There was nothing more to learn from the folder, but for a moment, she couldn’t stop staring at the death certificate. She wasn’t a particularly superstitious person, but the fact that this existed at all unsettled her - and it wasn’t just that it was further evidence of the lies that had perpetuated her life. It was like she was on the edge of something she couldn’t define, unwilling to back away but unable to pitch herself into the unknown expanse beyond.

 

Kaiya shut the folder and put it back in the drawer. She didn’t need to confirm the lies, and her real reason for coming here lay just one space back.

 

There was only one folder for Namikaze Minato, though it was significantly thicker than her own had been. A quick flip-through showed that the documents were mostly from before his tenure as Hokage; anything pertaining to his short reign was probably kept elsewhere under heavier security. No personal affects, no jutsu scrolls…just a collection of Academy records and mission reports. There were, however, photos of him - and not just the standard ID photo attached to his registration page. One was from the Academy, showing him as a young boy; another was a photograph of him as a newborn clipped to his birth certificate. Seeing the famous Fourth Hokage as an infant with puffy eyes and a scrunched-up nose…how different he looked from the carving on the mountainside!

 

With a jolt, Kaiya realized that was something missing from her own folder - there had been no photos of her, no hand or footprints from her birth. The officials really had done what they could to erase her existence, she realized with a rush of indignation. It was a disturbing, disquieting thought, but she couldn’t dwell on it right now. Time was of the essence; she had to read what she could.

 

Namikaze Minato was the child of a pair of Konoha Shinobi - no particular clan affiliation, but their ancestors could be traced to offshoots of the old Senju clan. His Academy records showed an exemplary student whose scores had yet to be beat; he’d graduated at age ten and was placed on a team headed by Jiraiya. Kaiya quickly looked up his teammates’ names - maybe she could talk to them and find out more.

 

No such luck; both had died during the Third War.

 

As a Genin, Minato had done a handful of the standard “stepping-stone” missions: finding lost pets, gardening, handywork, and the like. Kaiya smirked, thinking of how much Naruto hated those kind of jobs. She used to feel the same way, until the ‘useless’ skills became invaluable for undercover work. When sneaking into an estate as a gardener or repair person, it helped to know the basics of the cover job.

 

He quickly moved on to more dangerous missions. His speed and efficiency, as well as his deadly accuracy with weapons, was noted even by his Academy teachers; he rose to Jonin rank by his early teens. Not a single mission ever failed if he was involved. It was actually a little dull to read after a while, not just because of the dryness of the reports; his record was simply so  _perfect_ , so without blemish, that nothing stood out…until Kaiya came across her mother’s name. 

 

_Uzumaki Kushina kidnapped by confirmed Kumogakure nin…_

 

Kidnapped by Kumo nin…just like Hyuuga Hinata had been as a young child. Was Uzumaki chakra so valuable that Kumo thought the risk of war worthwhile? Was it for some other reason? The report didn’t say.

 

Minato volunteered for the mission and was the one to find her, dispatching of all three Kumo kidnappers on his own. Kaiya read the report three times, hoping to glean anything more about her parents - how they’d felt about each other at the time, whether Minato had volunteered out of love or some other reason…but the report was dry as desert sand. She sighed. Naruto would probably like the story, at least.

 

Continuing her flip-through, Kaiya paused on a particular set of reports clipped together. _Team Minato…_ That was the team he’d taught, the one that Kakashi had been on. If she read this, she was likely to learn more about the Copy-Nin than he would probably appreciate. Would it be an invasion of privacy if she looked? Not necessarily, right? It had to do with her father, after all. Besides, she thought with a frown, in a way Kakashi had breached any trust between them by knowing so much about her and never saying anything. 

 

She opened the document.

 

Team Minato: Hatake Kakashi, Uchiha Obito, and Nohara Rin.  _Uchiha…_ Kaiya felt a jolt in her chest at the name. Kakashi had a Sharingan eye…was it from…?

 

Already uneasy, she quickly flipped through the first reports. Obito and Rin graduated around the then-standard age of ten, whereas Kakashi had already been a Genin for several years. Their initial team notes mentioned that Kakashi had difficulty with working in teams before. Their team photo made Kaiya unexpectedly smile; it reminded her of Naruto’s own team photo, with Kakashi and Obito glaring daggers just as the blond did with Sasuke. Minato - her father - was smiling, though there was a tension in his forehead that said he was already dreading the boys’ attitudes.

 

It was kind of adorable.

 

Their team photo may have been standard, but their missions were decidedly not. By the time Team Minato was formed, the Third Shinobi World War was already underway. It didn’t matter that two of the three members were fresh out of the Academy; they were pushed through their Chunin Exams within weeks of graduation and swiftly sent into war missions.

 

Then came the report she’d been dreading ever since she saw the ‘Uchiha’ name.

 

_MISSION REPORT_

 

_OBJECTIVE: Destroy Kannabi Bridge_

 

_TEAM ASSIGNED: Hatake Kakashi (Jonin-leader); Uchiha Obito (Chunin); Nohara Rin (Chunin)_

 

_Team encountered resistance from Iwagakure Shinobi en route; Nohara Rin captured. Enemy attempted genjutsu to obtain intel without success. Hatake Kakashi and Uchiha Obito pursued for rescue - successful. During escape, Uchiha Obito was crushed in a cave-in in effort to save teammate’s life. Iwa nin found and defeated. Body of Uchiha Obito unrecoverable. Left Sharingan held by Hatake Kakashi. Right Sharingan presumed crushed with body._

 

_Mission resumed and completed by remainder of team. Bridge destroyed. Mission: Success._

 

This was how Kakashi got his Sharingan, Kaiya realized. It had been his teammate’s. To carry around a physical piece of a friend, literally seeing the world through that person’s eye…she felt a pang of sympathy for the man. If she had anything of Yuuma’s left, she’d cherish it, no matter what it was. And he’d been so young…

 

Kaiya chewed on her lip as she flipped through the rest of the mission reports. The other member of the team, Nohara Rin, had been a healer-in-training, not particularly adept at combat, yet she’d been sent on many wartime missions. A pit settled in Kaiya’s stomach, instinctively knowing that this girl, no older than the members of Team Seven were today, hadn’t made it out of that war alive.

 

Even predicting this, nothing could have prepared her for the official report.

 

_Nohara Rin captured by Kirigakure platoon. Enemy’s objective: seal a demon spirit to be released upon vessel’s return to Konoha. Extraction not possible. To protect Konoha, Nohara Rin sacrificed her life. Cause of death: Chidori to the heart._

 

Kaiya’s own heart stopped. Chidori…that was Kakashi’s signature jutsu.

 

He’d killed his own teammate.

 

She didn’t want to believe it. Sure, she was angry with Kakashi, wasn’t sure she could trust him…but he wasn’t someone who would willingly sacrifice his comrades.

 

Right?

 

Rereading the report, she combed the curt, dry text for any hint that he was not just some cold killer.  _Extraction not possible…Rin sacrificed her life_ … The wording suggested that it had been  _her_ choice to die, not necessarily Kakashi’s. There had to be more to it. She couldn’t believe that Kakashi would do something like that without a damn good reason. 

 

_Used to think that about Itachi, too…_

 

Kaiya leaned on the table as a wave of nausea hit her. The room suddenly felt too small, the air too stagnant. Breathe in, breathe out…

 

It was no good - she needed to get outside, to open air. Replacing the file in its drawer, she swiftly left the offices. Once she was back at her apartment building, she perched on the roof and let her hood down, freeing her crimson tresses and breathing deeply of the cool night air until she began to feel steady again.

 

Kakashi wasn’t Itachi, she told herself. There was a world of difference between them; she had to believe that.

 

* * *

 

That night, sleep was punctuated by nightmares of scarlet eyes and bodies laying in pools of blood. At last, Kaiya gave up on the idea of sleep, getting dressed and heading out into the chill morning air. The sun wouldn’t be up for a little bit yet; late autumn was upon the village and the days were growing shorter. Her breath came out in faint, white puffs as she wandered, eventually finding her way to the cemetery.

 

It didn’t take long to find him. There he was, just as she’d expected: crouched before a grave, placing fresh flowers in the vases at its lower corners. His back was to her, silver hair ruffled by a soft, frosty breeze; she concealed her presence, though he showed no sign of noticing anything around him.

 

_Kakashi…_

 

The burning anger she’d felt last time they’d met was barely an ember now, and stoking the flame seemed…useless. She still wanted an explanation from him, but she doubted she’d get it by avoiding or verbally attacking him.

 

She had an opportunity right now - no one else was around, and if she kept avoiding him, she might not get as good a chance again. With a deep breath, Kaiya stepped out and approached him.

 

Kakashi didn’t turn around, even though Kaiya was certain he knew she was there. She stopped a few feet away from him, suddenly unsure of what to say.

 

“Hey,” she tried.

 

For a moment, he showed no sign of having heard her. Then, his low voice greeted her ears. “Yo.”

 

Now what?  _So, I just happened to read about how your whole team died during the war…_ No, that was definitely not something she wanted to open with. At a loss, Kaiya peered around him to see the name on the gravestone. 

 

“Nohara Rin,” she murmured. The headstone was freshly cleaned, not a stray leaf to be found in its vicinity. Twin bouquets of lilies adorned its edges, lush despite the autumn chill.

 

A wave of sympathy crashed over her, stealing her breath away. So it wasn’t just the memorial stone he visited…he clearly came here often, to see the girl whose life was ended by his own hand.

 

“I’m sorry,” she croaked, needing to say something, needing to acknowledge this act of grief.

 

“You have nothing to apologize for.”

 

A frosty breeze blew by, rustling some dead leaves from a nearby headstone. Kaiya folded her arms tightly across her chest.

 

“I, on the other hand…” Kakashi sighed. “I have a lot to apologize for. What you said before - you were right. Orders were an excuse. I’ve always thought of ‘turning my back’ on someone as meaning letting them die when I should have stopped it…I never considered that I was doing the same thing by staying away from the two of you. It was selfish, but I convinced myself that you two were better off without someone like me in your lives.”

 

Kaiya gaped at his back. He utterly baffled her. Grief, she could understand…but how on earth did he come to that conclusion? “You were someone close to our family - of course we’d have wanted to know you! It’s not like we had a ton of options!”

 

“You deserved better,” he intoned.

 

Kaiya scoffed and glanced aside. “Why don’t you let  _us_ decide what we deserve?” 

 

“Fair enough.” At last, Kakashi stood and turned around, sincere contrition in his gaze. “I don’t expect you to forgive me for breaking your trust, and I’m not even sure I understand my own reasons fully…but you should know that it was never that I didn’t trust you. And…I’m sorry.”

 

Kaiya’s gaze drifted down, at a loss for words. This was everything she’d wanted to hear before…yet for some reason, it didn’t feel as validating as she’d expected. If anything, she wanted them to go back to what they’d had before everything had come to light. She missed their banter, their talks about Team 7 and jutsu and nothing at all.

 

She missed  _him_ . 

 

Kaiya chewed on her lip for a moment. “I just want…I  _need_ honesty. And I don’t want to be protected - I want to be able to do that for myself. Just…treat me like a colleague, okay?” 

 

He nodded. “I think I can do that.”

 

“And…” She pushed a lock of hair behind her ear as a light blush warmed her cheeks. “Maybe we could…talk? Sometimes? I want to know more about my parents…what they were like, you know…and you knew them…”

 

Kakashi’s visible eye softened. “I’d like that.”

 

Kaiya smiled. It felt like she’d been relieved of a heavy burden, leaving her light and airy. For perhaps the first time since returning to Konoha, something finally felt…right.

 

The sun peeked over the horizon, bathing the cemetery in a warm, rosy glow. Kakashi looked toward the rising star, slipping his hands into his pockets. “Later than I thought…”

 

“Already late for something?” Kaiya teased. “It’s barely seven o’clock! I’m not going to be your excuse, you know.”

 

He raised a brow at her. “As it so happens, I’m not late for anything yet today. I’ll be meeting with Team 7 this afternoon.”

 

At the mention of the team, Kaiya’s smile melted away. “Did you hear what happened with their last mission?”

 

Kakashi gave a curt nod. “I did.”

 

“I’m worried about Sasuke,” Kaiya confessed, rubbing her arm. “Attitude is one thing, but this…this isn’t like him.”

 

“And here I thought he was starting to improve,” Kakashi sighed. “Though I suppose Itachi returning didn’t help matters.”

 

Kaiya involuntarily flinched at the name. “No…there was nothing we could do against him.”

 

She felt Kakashi’s gaze shift back to her, probing. To her relief, he didn’t ask her to elaborate.

 

A chill breeze swept by and Kaiya shuddered. “I tried talking to him - to Sasuke, I mean - but it was like talking to a brick wall.”

 

“To be fair, that’s hardly a new development.”

 

“This isn’t a joke!”

 

“I agree, and I don’t intend to treat it as such.”

 

Kaiya flushed, embarrassed that she’d jumped to such a conclusion. Of course he was taking this seriously. “I think that Juin has something to do with it. I’ve been trying to find more information on the Fuja Hoin, or on anything that might help. It’s been…slow.”

 

“Probably because there isn’t anything on the Fuja Hoin in the village. It was an Uzumaki seal.”

 

“How’d you learn it, then?”

 

His hand rose to his covered eye. “I copied it a while back, when Sandaime-sama used it on another one of Orochimaru’s victims. That person hasn’t had quite the same issues as Sasuke, though…”

 

It was just as Danzo said, then - the Uzumaki’s jutsu was primarily passed from person to person. Kaiya’s shoulders drooped. Even the Five Elements jutsu she’d just learned wouldn’t be of much use; the scroll itself stated that it was best suited to either stationary seals like the locks she’d undone, or for unbalancing even-numbered formulas. A Juin was far more complex, tied to both the caster and the target.

 

“I’m not giving up on it,” she declared. “I _will_ find a way to break a Juin. I just…I need more time.” 

 

“I’ll try talking to him,” Kakashi promised. “I’m his sensei, for whatever that’s worth. It’s part of the job.”

 

“I think if he was going to listen to anyone, it’d be you,” Kaiya replied. “I mean it. Of anyone in Konoha…I think you’d be the best able to relate to him, you know? He needs to hear from someone who’s been where he is.”

 

“Well, I’m not sure that I’m the perfect match in that regard, but I’ll try.” Kakashi looked back at her, the rosy dawn warming his charcoal eye. “And Kaiya…thank you.”

 

She blinked. “For what?”

 

“Well…for giving me another chance, I suppose. I don’t exactly have a history of getting those from the people who matter,” he added, glancing back toward Rin’s grave.

 

Kaiya was glad for the pink-and-orange-hued light from the rising sun; surely it would camouflage how red her face had become. “Yeah, well…like I said, it’s not like I have a ton of options, you know…and hey, you’re not guilt-tripping your way out of this!”

 

Kakashi tilted his head toward the sky. “Somehow…that actually makes it better.”

 

There was a faint outline of a smile visible through his mask, which made Kaiya’s half-hearted glare crack and crumble. She bit back a small laugh and crossed her arms to maintain her mock-indignity. “Whatever. Go get lost on the path of life or whatever it is you do all day. Some of us have goals beyond seeing how much porn we can get away with reading in public, you know.”

 

“I wouldn’t know,” Kakashi called as he walked away, whipping out the familiar paperback from his pack.

 

Kaiya shook her head at his retreating form, her mirth short-lived in his absence. She did have goals: Get to the Uzumaki Temple. Find anything she could that would help her boys. Get to the bottom of this ‘Root’ business.

 

Right now, that meant going to see a certain person.

 

* * *

 

Kaiya sped through the northern forest toward the old shrine of Ashura and Indra. There was no resistance, though she definitely felt she was being watched. Fine. Danzo’s ‘agent’ had shown her the way before without trying to disguise their route; he obviously wanted her to know about this place. She didn’t bother trying to hide her presence, either. Let them know she was there - she wasn’t trying to sneak in this time, and she doubted there’d be much to find in a place he so clearly wanted her to know about.

 

This was a test, after all - and she determined to not be the only one under scrutiny.

 

Going directly to Danzo rather than to the Hokage or the Council as a whole was a move she’d debated. If this was only about the Uzumaki Temple, she wouldn’t feel the need to play this game; but it was also about Root, whether it existed or not, whether Danzo had anything to do with what happened to Kabuto or not. Bringing her findings on the scroll to him first would be taken as a sign of trust; that was the message she wanted to convey, at least until she figured out what he wanted from her. She needed to get close to him in order to bring everything into the light.

 

She made it to the shrine without interception. Going around the back, Kaiya found the hidden entry with a blocky lock seal inscribed on its surface. Focusing her chakra into her fingertips, she prepared to apply the Five Elements jutsu.  _Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water -_

 

She froze when, with barely a whisper of warning in the air, she was surrounded by several masked ninja, their weapons pointed directly at her.

 

_There you are,_ Kaiya thought, dispelling the chakra from her fingertips. She’d wondered how far they’d let her get before trying to stop her. There were four within her field of vision; one was close enough that the tip of his drawn blade was mere centimeters from her neck. Slowly, she stood with her hands up and open. The blade followed her movements, but neither he nor the others made any move to attack. 

 

_Message received. I can come here freely, but don’t try to break in._

 

“I see you’ve returned,” came Danzo’s gravelly voice from the tree line. Leaning on his cane, he gave the masked ninja a subtle nod. “You may stand down. Go.”

 

His agents - for she was sure that’s what they were - scattered, disappearing from view without a sound. Her heart rate slowed back down, but tension remained in her shoulders. She hadn’t dealt with Anbu extensively, but she’d never heard of them drawing weapons on a Konoha Shinobi who hadn’t been designated a criminal. These agents, though…she had the distinct impression that if she’d tried to fight them, they would not have hesitated to kill her, Konoha Shinobi or not.

 

Was she in over her head with this?

 

Turning to Danzo, she bowed low. “My apologies, Danzo-sama. I should have called ahead somehow - I wasn’t aware that this place was under Anbu’s protection.”

 

“My agents knew to expect you, Namikaze-san,” Danzo replied coolly. “Though your attempt to show off the Five Elements Unseal on my office door forced them to act.”

 

So he openly acknowledged that these people answered to him….though, a part of her mind argued, that didn’t necessarily mean they were part of a secret group. Danzo was a Council member; he could have a handful of Anbu attached to him for protection and the like.

 

Then she realized something else: he’d known which jutsu she was going to use. That meant… “You knew what was in the scroll?”

 

“I knew what jutsu it contained,” he answered, walking past her to the door. He pressed his good hand against the lock seal; it unlatched with a simple pulse of his chakra. “Though I was truthful when I said I’d never read beyond the scroll’s surface. Only Uzumaki chakra could reveal its full contents. It is a powerful jutsu, though I would advise against trying it on this seal in the future; this one is considerably more complex than those used at the administrative buildings.”

 

Kaiya’s heart stopped, making her flinch before she could catch herself. He knew she’d gone there? Her chakra masking seal worked on sensor-nin and dojutsu, but it wouldn’t have hidden her physical form. She’d been careful, but she hadn’t accounted for being watched from the start.

 

She thought quickly. Denying it would get her nowhere, and if he’d meant for her to be in trouble, he’d have had her caught in the act.

 

“Don’t keep me waiting, Namikaze-san,” Danzo ordered from inside, interrupting her thoughts. “Come in.”

 

Hesitantly, Kaiya stepped through the doorway into the shadowy office. The room was as sparse as before, the shelves bare but for a few books and scrolls. The cast iron tea pot from last time sat on the table; the tea Danzo poured was already brewed to full strength.

 

“Not to worry,” he told her as he poured. “You will face no consequences for your excursion. On the contrary…I was quite impressed by your initiative in using that jutsu so quickly.”

 

“Seriously?” The word left her mouth before she could stop herself, laying her incredulity bare. “I mean - forgive me, Danzo-sama, I wasn’t expecting a Council member to be so…okay with that.”

 

To her surprise, Danzo gave an amused smile. “You have primarily dealt with my two colleagues, I imagine. They are sticklers for rules, regulations…the trappings of bureaucracy.” The smile evaporated, leaving a shadow across his face. “However, when paired with a leader who is unwilling to act decisively, such trappings endanger the village. As Shinobi, we must follow a set of rules, else there will be chaos. Yet there are times when one must be willing to question authority and push for change; from what I understand, you grasp this better than most.”

 

Kaiya blinked. “I…what do you mean?”

 

“I have followed your career, Namikaze-san,” Danzo explained. “And I have noticed how many times you have put forth a request or suggestion to the Council regarding certain jutsu. You were denied because of your rank - an arbitrary label at best, and an excuse to hinder progress.”

 

Kabuto had said something like that, too… “Sandaime-sama said it was too dangerous…”

 

“Hiruzen, I’m afraid, had a history of holding back those with great potential,” Danzo said darkly. “I suppose it is partly due to his experience with Orochimaru. He failed to see Orochimaru as a danger to the village until it was too late; after that, he hoped to prevent such a mistake from happening again. But that attitude has been a detriment to the village. Talented individuals have had their potential stifled rather than realized. You, in particular, have experienced this more than most.”

 

She couldn’t bring herself to disagree, and it left a bitter taste in her mouth. How much more could she have done to help Sasuke, or Naruto, or heck, anyone in the village if she’d just been allowed to study Forbidden Jutsu? If she’d known about her heritage? If she’d been able to see this Temple sooner?

 

“Your potential is what led me to reach out to you,” Danzo continued after a moment’s pause. “I gave you that scroll because I had to be certain of it - not only of your chakra’s Uzumaki signature, but of your intelligence to realize that there was something to unlock at all. That you learned the Five Elements Jutsu well enough to use so quickly…well, I suppose I should not expect less of someone who broke through the powerful Four Violet Flames Barrier.”

 

Kaiya’s neck heated from the praise, but she wondered at his sincerity. “I’m flattered you think so highly of me, Danzo-sama.”

 

“Flattery has nothing to do with it,” he drawled. “I have come to expect great things of you, Namikaze-san, because you have proved yourself worthy of those expectations. It is not only your skill with Fuinjutsu; you have the drive to question and explore beyond what is set before you. When you go to the Uzumaki Temple, I expect that those qualities will lead you to discover more than even your mother was able to find.”

 

For a second, Kaiya found herself caught up in his words. The way he spoke lit a fire in her that made her hungry to act, to meet and exceed those expectations. He was offering her a way to do just that, and all she had to do…

 

…was what?

 

_Never agree to a deal when you don’t know all of the terms._

 

Yuuma’s voice cut through her mind as clear as a bell; Kaiya caught herself and tried to mentally back away from her excitement, tried to think critically. Needing to buy a moment to gather her thoughts, she finally cupped her hands around the still-warm tea and breathed in its earthy fragrance.

 

“Genmaicha,” she identified.

 

Danzo nodded. “My preferred variety, I admit.”

 

Kaiya allowed a small smile cross her lips. “Mine, too.” It wasn’t a lie - she loved the nutty overtones of the roasted rice in the tea.  _Establish common ground to set the target at ease…_ It was one of Yuuma’s early lessons in getting information from people without violence.  _Be sincere and fabricate as little as possible. Lies are easier to sell when peppered with truth._

 

Having her sensei’s voice in her mind helped her think clearly. Danzo had been watching her for a long time and seemed to have no problem letting her know of his scrutiny. Yet he also offered her praise, tea, appreciation for illicit activities…he wanted her guard down, but also wanted to establish exactly who was in control.

 

What was he asking her to do? Go to the Uzumaki Temple…but for what reason? What did he hope to find there?

 

Kaiya let her eyes drop in doubt. “Danzo-sama…thank you again for the scroll. I’m excited to go the Temple, and grateful for the opportunity…”

 

“But?”

 

“But the village is so short-handed,” she continued. “I can’t justify going to the Temple just to satisfy my own curiosity. It’s like you said - if it’s personal, and not for sake of the village, it probably shouldn’t be focused on. Besides, aren’t there other missions that need attention so we can keep up appearances?”

 

“Keeping up with the missions we receive helps to maintain an image of strength to the outside world, it is true,” Danzo said. “However, simply maintaining an image is meaningless if we haven’t the real strength to support it. For over a decade now, Konoha has relied too heavily on such maintenance while simultaneously allowing our Shinobi to soften. We need to not only _appear_ strong to others; we must cultivate the power to support that image, now more than ever. Our numbers shrank from Orochimaru’s invasion, and it will take time to build them back up. Right now, we must focus on the quality of our forces and invest in individuals with particular talents…like yourself.” 

 

He set his cup down, face stern. “That is why this mission is vital - you have the potential to continue, possibly even expand on your clan’s work. However, Orochimaru likely knows about that Temple as well, and would surely covet whatever knowledge it holds. We must secure it quickly, strengthen the protection that has kept it hidden for so long, and ensure that its secrets remain exclusive to Konoha.”

 

Once again, Kaiya felt herself swept along in a current of purpose. Yes - of course the Temple had to be secured. Of course whatever it held had to be protected, and of course she would do all she could to see that happen.

 

_Stay focused!_

 

He spoke like a political orator, playing on her passions and offering her ideals. He was trying to draw her in, sway her to his way of thinking. Why, though?!

 

“I will do what I can,” she promised. “When will the mission begin?”

 

“I will make the necessary arrangements and call on you when the time comes,” he replied, gathering their empty tea cups to the tray. “It will not take long.”

 

A frown twitched across her lips.  _He_ would make the arrangements? A thought occurred to her: Was Tsunade even aware of this mission? 

 

Rather than ask, Kaiya decided to play along for now, let him think she was on board with all of this. Better to keep her options open while she could.

 

She stood and bowed once more. “I’ll await your orders, Danzo-sama. Thank you again.”

 

* * *

 

As Kaiya left the northern forest, her mind churned relentlessly. The way Danzo spoke, the ideas he put forth…it reminded her of the sort of people Yuuma used to warn the team about.

 

What worried her was that some of what he said  _did_ make sense. 

 

_Focus on the Temple,_ Kaiya told herself. The Uzumaki Temple was a part of this somehow; once she got there, maybe the situation would become clearer. 

 

However…the idea that Tsunade might not know about this mission left her uncomfortable. Kaiya’s gut told her to go to Tsunade and at least tell her about the Uzumaki Temple mission. She didn’t have to get into the question of Root that way, and it would let her gauge just how truthful Danzo was being as well as Tsunade’s own attitude toward the man. If the Hokage knew about the mission, then she had less to worry about; if she didn’t know about it, then Danzo definitely had ulterior motives, and that was something Tsunade should be aware of. She owed her that much for standing up against the Elders, at least.

 

Danzo was watching her, though. She couldn’t just go straight to the Hokage Mansion; it would be too easy to guess her motives, and she wasn’t sure how closely he was surveying her. As much as she wanted to get this over and done with, she’d have to wait until a decent opportunity arose.

 

The day was warming up a bit; the sun was high over the forest when Kaiya passed by a few of the smaller training fields. She wondered if Team 7 was in any of them; Kakashi had mentioned that they’d be meeting today. Despite her concerns over Danzo, a smile found its way back onto her face. She was glad to be on good terms with Kakashi again. It was a relief, actually; she needed allies, though she couldn’t deny that it was just nice to think that he really was the person she thought he was.

 

If only that was true of everyone she’d given her trust to.

 

Melancholy passed over her like a cloud, darkening her mood once more - but before she could dwell on past mistakes, something caught her eye. Someone was running on the path beneath her…someone with a familiar cloud of pink hair.

 

Sakura?

 

Curious, Kaiya hopped from the canopy to the forest floor, just ahead of the pinkette. “Hey! Long time no-”

 

She cut off when she saw Sakura’s face, white as a sheet even though she was out of breath. Her spring green eyes were wide and panicked, and as soon as she saw Kaiya, she rushed forward and grabbed her arm.

 

“Kaiya, please, you have to come! Sasuke-kun and Naruto - they’re - I don’t know what to do!”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun dun DUNNNN! Return of the cliffhanger! 
> 
> -So it turns out the Uzumaki DID write some jutsu down…and now Kaiya’s learned the (canon-with-some-artistic-embellishment) Five Elements Seal! You know, that thing we saw Orochimaru and Jiraiya each use once that was never mentioned again? Yep. That one. 
> 
> -Kaiya has a history of breaking into things…it’s just been a while since she’s done it :P Can you imagine reading your own death certificate? *shudder* 
> 
> -Yay, it seems Kaiya and Kakashi have made up! 
> 
> -Danzo continues to Danzo his way around stuff. I really just want to post this thing. 
> 
> NEXT TIME: Naruto and Sasuke’s first big fight…Jiraiya returns…the Uzumaki Temple mission commences…and more than one person has a snake on their tail. 
> 
> Stay tuned!


	19. Things Unsaid

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick disclaimer about an Uzumaki-related idea brought up in this chapter: the idea of “excommunication” from Uzushio. The concept is based on one of ItyGirl’s ideas in her story, [Pain and Hope](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16425116/chapters/38456822). It hasn’t come up in P&H yet, so when you read a similar idea there later, know that she DID come up with it first :P I’m just adapting it and giving it a different name.

_The mid-morning sun shone brightly on Konoha’s open-air marketplace, the mild fall weather having drawn a large crowd. The stands were lush with colorful produce and fresh meat and fish; vendors and customers chattered happily among the stalls. Usually, Kaiya was happy to engage in the lively exchanges, especially since her new Chunin missions gave her more funds to work with. Today, she wandered with eyes downcast, not really taking in anything around her._

 

_She hadn’t seen Itachi in a few weeks, and it made her nervous. She tried to be rational: He was probably busy with missions, or with clan stuff, or both. This wasn’t the first time they’d gone over a week without meeting, though it had become a rare occurrence before…_

 

… _before Shisui’s death._

 

_Kaiya’s head sank. She wanted to see Itachi - needed to. Imagining him dealing with the death of his best friend alone…it tore a hole in her chest. She worried for him, wanted to be there for him in his grief. She’d gone to their usual meeting place every night for the past two weeks, hoping that he’d come, but he never did._

 

 _With a heavy sigh, she hoisted her shopping bag more securely on her shoulder and headed away from the market. Short of going into the Uchiha compound, she wasn’t sure how to find him - and going there was off-limits. It wasn’t just the unspoken agreement that whatever was between them was to_ stay _between them; almost no one went to the Uchiha compound who wasn’t an Uchiha. That was just how things were. They were a proud, elite, insular clan, and Itachi was their heir_ _**.** _ _If she waltzed into the compound looking for him, she’d invite the laser-sharp attention of every Uchiha in the village. It was bad enough that some of the Hyuga clan had been giving her the stink eye since the Chunin Exams; she didn’t want to make trouble for Itachi, and wasn’t keen on attracting his clan’s scrutiny._

 

_At least…that’s what she told herself. Still, there was a nagging, suspicious voice in the back of her mind that wondered if he was trying to hide their relationship for some other reason. If maybe his absence these past few weeks weren’t just because of grief. If maybe…he just didn’t want to see her._

 

_Something just in the corner of her eye made her stop. Was that…? She squinted over the market crowd. Yes, it was him! Alight with a strange mix of joy and desperation, Kaiya wove through the throngs of people, trying to keep sight of the low ponytail and the red-and-white fan symbol on the back of his shirt._

 

_His form flickered, then disappeared - but then she saw him again, this time on a nearby roof. Her eyes met his - he definitely saw her, but as soon as she flickered to him, he was two roofs ahead of her._

 

_Did he want her to follow? If not, he should be doing a better job of throwing her off._

 

_They passed over the markets, darting through across residential buildings, eventually entering the southern forest. She knew this area - they’d met in these woods many times. At last, Itachi stopped and allowed her to catch up to him on the edge of a cliff overlooking the Naka River._

 

“ _What is it, Kaiya?”_

 

_Kaiya flinched at the emptiness in his voice. He sounded…tired? Now that he was right in front of her, she found she had no idea what to say to him. “I’m…I’m sorry about Shisui…I wanted to tell you at the funeral, but it didn’t seem…well…”_

 

‘ _Appropriate’ was probably the best word for it. When she and Yuuma arrived at the Uchiha clan’s gathering for Shisui, their reception had been chilly at best. Kaiya had stuck to her sensei’s side the whole time; as much as she was dying to go to Itachi, to stand by him, support him somehow, she recognized that it wasn’t the right time. Not with his family there, not when no one knew they were…together._

 

_Had she been wrong to go? It wasn’t a big secret that Shisui had once been on Yuuma’s squad, or that he’d worked with Kaiya before her Chunin final - not once she used his special style of Body Flicker in the arena. It made sense that she’d attend his funeral with Yuuma to pay her respects, right? It wouldn’t necessarily make people think she and Itachi were together, right?_

 

 _With that thought came the same doubt that she’d tried to ignore for weeks: Why_ did _it matter so much that no one knew they were together?_

 

_Kaiya’s stomach filled with butterflies. “Itachi…what’s going on? Where’ve you been these past few weeks?”_

 

_Stupid question, she realized as soon as it left her mouth. He probably couldn’t tell her. He never could before. She should have been used to his silence by now - he wasn’t exactly a talkative person under normal circumstances. But then, his silence rarely felt so heavy._

 

“ _You know,” she offered, hoisting her bag more securely on her shoulder, “sometimes talking can help…”_

 

_She waited for as long as her anxiety would allow, but he gave no answer. Maybe he just didn’t want to talk? But if he didn’t, how was she supposed to know what to do? Was she supposed to know on some instinctual level? If so, then she was lost. Did that mean…that her feelings for him weren’t strong enough? No. Her entire body rebelled against the notion as soon as it formed. It physically hurt to imagine him in pain, she just needed to know what to do!_

 

“ _I…I want to be here for you, you know? I-” She stopped short; a word had almost slipped out that once spoken, she’d have a hard time taking back. “I…care about you. I want to help you, ‘kay?”_

 

_Silence._

 

“ _Itachi?”_

 

_Nothing._

 

“ _Will you talk to me? Please? I don’t know how to help you - please, just tell me what I can do! I’ll do anything, just say something!”_

 

_Kaiya’s breath went shallow as her mind filled the silence for him, supplying what to her were the only possible answers._

 

_There was nothing she could do._

 

_He didn’t want her there._

 

_He was tired of her._

 

_She was just an annoyance._

 

_Just a nobody._

 

_Worthless…_

 

_Clutching her bag like a lifeline and fighting the stinging in her eyes, Kaiya slowly backed away. “Should…I just go? I’ll go…I-I didn’t mean to bother you…”_

 

_His hand shot out faster than she could blink, grasping her wrist and halting her descent from him. Kaiya looked up in surprise at his insistent grip._

 

_Itachi licked his lips; when he spoke, his voice was a cracked whisper, as thought he hadn’t spoken for days. “Don’t go…please.”_

 

 _Kaiya inched forward, her wide eyes fixed on his profile. He looked so tired…almost lost. A bit of relief passed through her as she drew closer and his hand stayed on her arm. He_ did _want her there…he_ did _need her. With a pang of shame, she realized how stupid she was to assume that his withdrawal had anything to do with her. He’d just lost his best friend - as far as she knew, his_ only _friend. He was a model Shinobi, even in grief, hiding his emotions from the outside world._

 

_That just brought her back to her original predicament: She desperately wanted to help him, to ease his pain even a little, but how? Scraping her bottom lip, she tried asking again. “Itachi…whatever I can do-”_

 

_Her voice was muffled by his shirt as Itachi abruptly pulled her into him. He held her fast, the embrace almost uncomfortably tight, and at first, Kaiya was so surprised that she went stiff as a statue._

 

_He didn’t shake. She felt no tears on her shoulder where he buried his head. Yet there was a desperation in this gesture that stole her breath away and made her eyes sting with sympathetic grief. Slowly, she dislodged her arms from their crushed position between their chests and circled them around him._

 

“ _It’s okay,” she murmured into his shirt. “I’m here…whatever you need…”_

 

_Kaiya felt Itachi inhale sharply, felt his fingers clench against the back of her shirt. His breath was warm by her neck when he whispered, barely loud enough for her to make out: “This…this is enough.”_

 

* * *

 

**Last time, in To Unravel the Night…**

 

_She cut off when she saw Sakura’s face, white as a sheet even though she was out of breath. Her spring green eyes were wide and panicked, and as soon as she saw Kaiya, she rushed forward and grabbed her arm._

 

“ _Kaiya, please, you have to come! Sasuke-kun and Naruto - they’re - I don’t know what to do!”_

 

Kaiya’s blood froze as her mind leaped to worst-case scenarios. “Where are they?”

 

Sakura lead the way, explaining in broken sentences what had happened. “They were arguing - Naruto said something about that last mission, and Sasuke-kun - I tried to stop them, b-but - he pushed me away and then Naruto -”

 

“Where’s Kakashi?” Kaiya interrupted, struggling to not speed on ahead of the pinkette.

 

“I don’t know! He’s late as usual - I was trying to find him - I’ve never seen them fight like this before!”

 

Kaiya’s jaw clenched. Of all the times for Kakashi to prove unreliable! And to think, she’d just started giving him the benefit of the doubt again! But she couldn’t dwell on that. Already there were signs of a fight: scorched tree trunks, the sounds of blows being exchanged, a charge in the air that sent goosebumps up her arms. “Sakura, stay back, you hear?”

 

Kaiya made a Shadow Clone and hurried on ahead, pumping chakra into her legs to run faster. She couldn’t see them yet, but she heard the sound of Shadow Clones poofing out of existence. The telltale glow of chakra flashed through the trees, followed by the sound of a thousand birds. Kaiya flickered toward its source, her heart stopping when she reached the field.

 

_Chidori!_

 

_RASENGAN!_

 

Naruto and Sasuke plummeted toward each other, each wielding their deadliest jutsu - with no way for either of them to stop before they collided in midair.

 

Kaiya and her clone flickered forward without a thought, covering the length of a field in half a blink. Her chakra flared as more clones appeared, all filled with the same purpose that pulsed in her veins: _Stop the boys from killing each other._

 

Twenty meters.

 

The markers were set just as she flickered between them. Glancing up, Kaiya saw the panic in Naruto’s eyes as he realized he couldn’t stop. Her chakra swelled, intent clear.

 

Ten.

 

Kaiya’s hand slammed to the ground, her chakra rushing from her body to reach the edges the clones had set. The air pulsed; for a second, all was still -

 

A blinding flash filled the field, followed by a palpable shudder of the earth and air. The clones dissipated from the force of the ensuing shock wave; Kaiya focused all her energy into the twin barriers, hoping rather than knowing that they had gone up in time. An eerie silence fell when the dirt and debris finally settled. As soon as it was over, she looked up, scarcely able to breathe for nauseating dread.

 

Ten centimeters.

 

That was all that was left between Naruto and Sasuke’s attacks when the barriers took effect. They had hit the invisible chakra walls jutsu-first, the clash of energy creating contained explosions that forced them away from each other. Twin lines of charred grass marked the face-to-face edges of her still-active jutsu; craters lay where the boys crashed into the ground.

 

Kaiya’s head whipped around, her eyes seeking the boys. “Naruto? Sasuke?!”

 

A groan met her ears. Naruto emerged from the ground clutching his head, disoriented. On her other side, Sasuke was on his back, shaking as he tried to force himself upright.

 

Kaiya breathed again. They were okay. Hurt, probably, but alive. She could have collapsed from the relief that washed over her - but that wave turned to steam as her blood boiled.

 

“What - the _hell_ \- were you two thinking?!” she roared. “And don’t you try telling me that was a spar!”

 

“Stay out of this,” Sasuke growled, clutching his left arm. “It doesn’t concern you.”

 

“Doesn’t-” Kaiya nearly choked in disbelief. “Oh, don’t you _dare_ start that bullshit up again! Chidori is an _assassination technique_ \- just what did you think would happen?!”

 

He didn’t answer, merely holding his chakra-burnt arm and averting his eyes.

 

“I don’t know what the _hell_ you were fighting about that you nearly _killed_ each other over,” she continued, her voice shrill, “but you are both staying right here until you explain this!”

 

“Couldn’t have said it better myself,” intoned a smooth tenor from the tree line. It was Kakashi; he strolled out from the forest into the training field, his usual aloof tone of voice replaced by a hard edge as he fixed flinty eyes on his students.

 

Kaiya whirled on him as he approached. “And where the hell were you?! They nearly killed each other!”

 

“It wasn’t his fault,” came a familiar, gruff voice from the trees. “I held him up.”

 

Looking up, Kaiya spied Jiraiya’s hulking form crouched on a nearby branch. Her eyes narrowed, mouth forming a thin line. Of course it was him. Well, if he or Kakashi wanted a crack at these two, they’d have to take a number. She crossed her arms and turned her glare back on the boys. “You two better start talking _now_.”

 

Sasuke gave a faint huff; even Naruto took on a stubborn pout rather than speak up at first.

 

Kaiya sighed impatiently. “Fine. I don’t have to be here to keep those barriers going, you know. Have fun sitting out here all night.” She turned away and started walking back toward the forest. _Three…two…_

 

“He started it,” grumbled Naruto. Kaiya stopped and looked back at him, arching an eyebrow; he blanched and protested, “Well, he did! All Sakura-chan said was how she was glad we were gettin’ to train together again, like old times, ya know? An’ he went an’ called her useless! An’ when I told him to shut it and show her some respect, ya know, she’s been working real hard lately, he said-” He screwed up his face and took on a nasal tone. “’Give me one reason why I should, nyah!’ I told him he’s the one who’s been useless lately, abandoning missions an’ all that-”

 

In the other barrier, Sasuke’s scowl turned sour.

 

“-an’ he said _I’ve_ been gettin’ a big head lately and to put my money where my mouth is and beat him if I’m so good!”

 

Kaiya fixed her brother with a chilly stare. “So you thought it was a good idea to break out a _chakra bomb_ that you’ve barely mastered? The Rasengan was given to you so you could protect yourself, not so you could blow a friend into next week!”

 

“I - he -” Naruto stammered for a moment, practically shaking as he tried to find the words to express himself. “It’s not like that! I just wanted to teach him a lesson, ya know! I didn’t - I wouldn’t’a-”

 

He looked away, teeth clenched and hands fisted at his sides as the full weight of what almost happened came down on him. Kaiya could see it written plainly on his face: the frustration and indignity giving way to shock and remorse. She turned to Sasuke. “And you? What do you have to say?”

 

Sasuke didn’t meet her gaze, fixing his own on the ground beside him.

 

“You two realize,” Kakashi spoke up, “that if your jutsu did collide at full force, it wouldn’t have just been your own lives on the line? The power of those techniques could very well have created an explosion that would’ve caught anyone within its blast radius - including _your teammate._ ”

 

Naruto fully deflated at his rebuke, slumping to the ground with an exhausted, haunted look in his eyes. Even Sasuke seemed to have his inner flame doused, though he didn’t look willing to speak for himself anytime soon.

 

Jiraiya hopped down from his branch and approached the livid redhead. “I know I’m not exactly your favorite person right now, but let me deal with Naruto. I’m the one who taught him that jutsu; it’s _my_ responsibility to teach _him_ some.”

 

“And it’s mine to do the same with Sasuke,” Kakashi added, eye locked onto his dark-haired student. “Would you mind…?”

 

“He’s all yours.” Kaiya waved her hand, dissolving the barrier around Sasuke. As the teen stood, his eyes still averted, Kakashi placed a hand on his shoulder - probably, Kaiya realized, to make sure he didn’t try to run away. She hated that that was her first assumption. She hated that this was happening at all.

 

“Also,” Kakashi added, nodding to her, “would you do me a favor and get Sakura home, since Jiraiya-sama and I have our hands full?”

 

Sakura was still clutching the trunk of a tree, white-faced and wide-eyed, looking at her teammates with a mix of awe and horror. She seemed ready to burst into tears. Kaiya softened. The poor girl had just seen her teammates almost decimate each other; of course she was shaken. “Yeah. Okay.”

 

Kaiya let the barrier around Naruto down and crouched next to him before leaving. “Hey…”

 

But she couldn’t think of a thing to say. Guilt was written all over Naruto’s face; he was already beating himself up over this, and as much as she instinctively wanted to comfort him, she knew she couldn’t. His actions could have had dire consequences for people he loved; that was something he had to deal with now.

 

In the end, she settled for laying a hand on his unruly blond head. “Hey…I love you, okay?”

 

Naruto blinked rapidly and gave a tiny nod. Kaiya stood and walked over to Sakura, passing Jiraiya without a glance.

 

“Kaiya,” Jiraiya called. She paused but didn’t turn around. “After you get Sakura here home, meet us in Tsunade’s office.”

 

Kaiya bristled at his commanding tone, but gave a curt nod of acknowledgment and put an arm around Sakura’s shoulders. “Let’s go.”

 

* * *

 

The two kunoichi were barely on the path outside the grounds when Sakura broke down.

 

“I’m sorry,” she choked between sobs. “It’s like…all I can do is cry…”

 

“Hey, it’s okay,” Kaiya assured her, rubbing her shoulder. “Better out than in, right?”

 

Sakura sniffled. “Shinobi aren’t s-supposed to show emotion…”

 

“Yeah, I always had a hard time with that one myself,” Kaiya sighed, dropping her hand. “Honestly, it’s a bullshit rule. I get not letting an enemy know your emotional state and all, but in everyday life? That can’t be healthy. We’re human, not machines, you know?”

 

Wiping her eyes, the pinkette stomped her foot to the ground. “I hate this. Sasuke-kun was right. I’m useless when it matters…they were fighting and all I could do was…”

 

“Get help?” Kaiya shook her head. “You did the right thing. You’re not useless, Sakura, and you were right not to get between them.”

 

“But I can’t just wait for someone else to come and save the day again and again! You said it yourself - I’m not a damsel in distress, I should be able to do something!”

 

“You _did_ do something,” Kaiya insisted. “You know, my sensei used to say that more valuable than a brave warrior was a _smart_ one - one who knew when to step in to fight, and when to back away or use other tactics. Besides, you’re making progress! Nothing changes overnight, you know.”

 

“You sure about that?” Sakura asked dubiously. “It seems like Naruto did…I used to think he was such a loser, but now…”

 

“He’s grown a lot in very little time,” Kaiya agreed. “But that doesn’t mean it was easy. Hey, that Rasengan? He worked nonstop at it for a good two weeks! I can’t tell you how many times he collapsed from exhaustion, only to be right back up and trying again within a couple hours. That wouldn’t work for everyone; he’s got…more extra energy to burn than most people. Point still stands, though.”

 

“I guess you’re right,” Sakura said, a small smile making its way onto her face. “I just…I don’t want to be staring at their backs forever. And…I hate seeing them fight like that. Sasuke-kun especially…He used to say that he never wanted to see the people he cared for die again…I used to just think he was being cool, but…he really meant it. Now…it’s like he’s a different person.” She looked imploringly at Kaiya. “It’s that mark, isn’t it? The one Orochimaru gave him - I saw that look on his face before, back in the Forest of Death. It was the same energy…”

 

“I’m working on it,” Kaiya promised her, laying a hand on her shoulder. “We’re not losing him to that thing.”

 

* * *

 

Sakura was much calmer by the time they reached her house. After Kaiya left her, she sped toward the Hokage Mansion, her mind whirling ceaselessly. No matter how she looked at the situation, no matter how she tried to believe that there was a clear solution, she could no longer avoid a particular, heart-breaking conclusion.

 

They _were_ losing him.

 

She was no longer sure just how much the Curse Mark played into it. After all, the Fuja Hoin _should_ have kept it at bay; the only way to get around it would be if Sasuke himself wished it. Maybe the Juin was affecting his behavior now, but Sasuke would have to have allowed it out in the first place. He had to want what it would give him, even knowing where it came from and what the possible consequences were.

 

If that was the case…if he was already willing to go so far for his revenge…was there any way to reach him now?

 

Kakashi was already leaning on the outer wall of the Mansion when she arrived. Was he already finished with Sasuke? Well, she and Sakura _had_ simply walked back from the training grounds, which did take more time.

 

Kakashi glanced up and caught her eye. To her surprise and dread, he looked…remorseful.

 

“I disappointed you again,” he said in lieu of a greeting. “I’m sorry.”

 

Kaiya stopped, her mind going blank for a split-second as anxiety set in. “What is it? Is Sasuke-”

 

“Oh - he’s fine,” Kakashi quickly told her. “We talked. I meant my tardiness earlier.” He raised a hand to the back of his neck and sighed. “I don’t blame you. If I’d been on time-”

 

“What? No. That’s not-” Kaiya shook her head sharply. “Honestly…I’d kind of forgotten about that already.”

 

Kakashi blinked. “Oh.”

 

Kaiya might have laughed at his dumbfounded expression if she wasn’t so preoccupied with the boys’ fight. Leaning beside him against the wall, she crossed her arms. “So how was it? Talking to Sasuke, I mean.”

 

“Like talking to a brick wall,” Kakashi answered, echoing her sentiment from earlier that very morning. “But I think I was able to give him some things to think about.” He studied her face when she didn’t answer. “You still look worried.”

 

“I am,” she admitted. “I kept assuming that it was all that Juin…but…what if it’s not? What if…”

 

“He actually wanted to kill Naruto?” Kakashi finished bluntly in a low voice. “I don’t think that was it. For years, he was the genius of his generation, always ahead of the curve. Now he sees Naruto getting stronger at an alarming rate after spending so much time at the bottom of the ladder…he must feel like he’s standing still.”

 

“So you think today was just about proving a point?” Kaiya frowned. “I know that’s what it was to Naruto, but…You know, I try to understand Sasuke, but it’s just so hard to get him to say anything!”

 

“He’s not the type to express himself openly. I’m sure that doesn’t make sense to you or Naruto, since you’re both very…expressive.”

 

Kaiya opened her mouth to retort, then closed it with a relenting sigh. “Fair.”

 

“For, well, people like us, I suppose,” Kakashi continued, “people who process things internally…even if we do have words to describe what we feel and think, it’s difficult to make ourselves say them aloud. We’re used to keeping everything inside, or at least private; it becomes a habit.”

 

For some reason, Kaiya had a sudden memory of Itachi - particularly of after his cousin, Shisui, had died, supposedly of suicide. He’d become so withdrawn after that. She begged him to talk to her, would have done absolutely anything if it meant comforting him…but he never said anything.

 

Her nails dug into her arm as she forced the memory away. Why was she thinking of him now? He was the cause of all of this! He was the reason Sasuke was in this state at all!

 

“So he doesn’t like to talk about things,” Kaiya bit out as she tried to banish Itachi’s face from her mind. “But why does he think he has to do everything alone? We’re right here! He has people he can rely on, if he wasn’t so busy trying to push us away!”

 

Kakashi’s voice lowered again, a faraway look in his eye. “I suppose…it’s hard to let yourself rely on others when you’ve already lost the people you relied on the most. You never want to be that vulnerable again.”

 

Kaiya’s arms loosened. He spoke from experience; she knew that now. “You think he’s afraid that if he accepts help, he’s weak…or that if he gets close to anyone, or lets anyone in, he’ll just have to feel the pain of losing them all over again.”

 

“In a nutshell.”

 

She wanted to rebel against the idea. When she’d lost her memory, her family, her mentor, it was through connecting with other people that she began healing. She was stronger for those connections, she was sure. They were what kept her going, what gave her purpose.

 

Then again…if she thought about it, she’d been more of a blank slate when she lost everything to the Kyuubi attack. When she was embraced by the orphanage, then by Gorou and his family, she didn’t have anything to compare with. She couldn’t remember her mother’s touch or her father’s voice, so maybe that made it easier for her to accept and seek out others to fill those voids. Sasuke, though, still had every memory of his loving family, of the brother he’d grown up admiring, only to have it all ripped away in the most cruel fashion imaginable.

 

 _Yeah,_ she thought, _I guess I’d be pretty reluctant to get close to anyone, too…_

 

Heck, in some ways, she supposed she was still reluctant. As Gorou had so bluntly pointed out months ago, she never dated, and how many friends did she have outside of her team, really?

 

Her train of thought was interrupted when Jiraiya walked up to them with an uncharacteristically grave expression. “C’mon. Tsunade’s waiting for us.”

 

* * *

 

Tsunade listened to the news of the boys’ fight with hands folded below her chin. When they finished, she sighed and rubbed her forehead. “And what am I supposed to do about this? It’s a team matter.”

 

“Which happens to involve the kid holding the Kyuubi and last surviving Uchiha in Konoha,” Jiraiya pointed out. “But you won’t have to do anything, really.”

 

“Oh?”

 

Jiraiya nodded toward Kaiya. “Actually, it’s good you’re here for this - you should know. I plan to take Naruto for an extended training trip. It wasn’t gonna be for another month or so at least; there’s a couple things I wanted to check in on before I had him with me, but given the animosity between him and Sasuke…it might be better for everyone if they were separated sooner, rather than later.”

 

Kaiya stiffened. “You’re taking him away? How long?”

 

“A couple years. He’s gotta learn to control the Kyuubi’s power, as well as his own, and that’ll be best done somewhere he won’t have to worry about hurting people.”

 

A couple _years?_ Kaiya couldn’t remember being apart from Naruto for more than a couple _months._ Was this really the right time for something like that? He was still a kid!

 

She swallowed, reminding herself that no, Naruto wasn’t ‘still a kid’ anymore. He was a ninja, and growing to be a powerful one. Remembering the look of remorse on Naruto’s face when he realized that he could have killed his teammates…he would _want_ to learn better control.

 

“It’s for the best,” Kakashi agreed. “The way things are right now…if he and Sasuke are too close to each other, they’ll continue to rub each other the wrong ways. Apart, they’ll probably be more clear-headed. Still competitive - that’s actually been good for them - but not in a toxic way.”

 

Jiraiya tried flashing her a disarming smile. “Plus, you know how much he wants to be Hokage! It’d be good for the kid to see more of the world.”

 

“Should I be thanking you for keeping me in the loop this time?” Kaiya asked, unable to mask the bitterness in her voice.

 

“Actually,” he replied, “I was thinking you could come with us.”

 

Kaiya’s head shot up, eyes wide. “Eh?”

 

“Come with us for the next couple years,” Jiraiya restated with a shrug. “You’re a good influence on Naruto. Besides, I’m not half-bad with stuff like Fuinjutsu, and I _did_ teach the guy who mastered a lot of the jutsu you’re workin’ on. Might be able to help, and I wouldn’t mind an extra pair of eyes and ears for intel-gathering.”

 

Speechless, Kaiya just blinked at him, mouth slightly open in shock. His tone was nonchalant, but it seemed forced, the sort of aloofness that a person took on when they were acting. He _wanted_ her to go with them this time? Why?

 

_Did you think I stayed away because I didn’t give a damn?!_

 

His outburst from weeks ago echoed in her head. Did he actually feel guilty over the years of absence, and was trying to make up for it? The idea made her want to spit in his face and refuse to have anything to do with him. But if she considered things less emotionally…pervert or not, Jiraiya _was_ still one of the legendary Sannin. Leave Konoha for a few years, travel with them around the world…no missions, no politics, just time to focus entirely on training and her living family…

 

It did sound nice.

 

But what about Sasuke? Would leaving Konoha make him more isolated, or was Kakashi right in believing he also needed that separation? And what about the Uzumaki Temple? Well, she could probably talk Jiraiya into going there…but part of the reason she wanted to go was to figure out what Danzo wanted from her, and to get to the bottom of the ‘Root’ mystery. Of course, if she went on this trip, she wouldn’t have to worry about Danzo…right?

 

“You don’t have to answer right now,” Jiraiya said. “I’m looking to leave in a couple weeks. I’ll be away the next few days, but after that, I’ll be around if you got any questions.”

 

Kaiya simply nodded. Time…she needed time.

 

Tsunade leaned back in her chair and stretched. “Well, it sounds like you all have that figured out. Not much else to it.”

 

It was a dismissal, casual though it came across. Kaiya hesitated. If she was going to bring up Danzo and the Uzumaki Temple, now was the time. She might not get such a perfect excuse to speak with Tsunade again before the mission began. But what about Kakashi and Jiraiya? Actually…their presence might be a good thing. Danzo was watching her closely, and she still didn’t know to what extent, or how, or why. If she tried to get Tsunade alone and his agents saw that, he might suspect her of reporting on their meetings. With Jiraiya and Kakashi here, anyone watching from outside the office would probably assume that this was still about the boys’ fight. Besides…they might have intel to add.

 

“Actually,” Kaiya interrupted before anyone left. “There’s something I need to talk to you about, Hokage-sama. And…it might help if you two stayed,” she added, glancing to Jiraiya and Kakashi.

 

Tsunade’s brows pinched in puzzlement. “What is it?”

 

“I’ve been…approached by Shimura Danzo,” Kaiya began. As soon as the name left her lips, she felt the sudden shift in room. The three veterans were suddenly more alert, laser-focused on what she was saying. “He’s had me meet him a couple times now. The first time, he gave me an Uzumaki scroll-”

 

“Wait, what?” Tsunade interrupted. “Why exactly is Danzo having you meet him? And what scroll?”

 

“I’m not sure why,” she admitted. “That’s why I’m telling you. He said he just wants to help me, but…”

 

“Let me guess,” Jiraiya grumbled. “Something about it rubs you the wrong way? Good. Anything to do with that guy should.”

 

“He’s an old war hawk who opposed Sarutobi-sensei on just about everything,” Tsunade informed her. “Sage knows why he kept him around.”

 

“Then why do _you_ keep him around?” Kaiya retorted.

 

With a roll of her amber eyes, Tsunade groaned. “Because I can’t just get rid of the Elders, and he’s technically one of them. Even if I could, it wouldn’t be a good idea; they’ve been running things for decades and have connections throughout the Land of Fire that only they know about. We can’t afford to lose out on those right now.”

 

“Still doesn’t explain what he wants with me,” Kaiya muttered.

 

The Hokage’s brow twitched. “Wait. You said he gave you a scroll - an _Uzumaki_ scroll?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Couldn’t have. There aren’t any in Konoha - except for…” Her eyes slowly widened. “Kaiya, what did that scroll contain?”

 

“On the surface, it was about the old Five Elements,” she answered, wondering at the woman’s reaction. “But there was a jutsu formula sealed within it, too - the Five Elements jutsu. It seems to only unlock with Uzumaki chakra.”

 

Jiraiya glanced to Tsunade. “Hold up - isn’t that…?”

 

“Yep,” the woman nodded. “That sounds like one of my grandmother’s scrolls.”

 

Kaiya blinked hard. “Your grandmother…Uzumaki Mito? That was _her_ scroll?”

 

“She wrote a few scrolls after leaving her village to marry my grandfather,” Tsunade told her. “I always wondered why a couple were missing after she died…to think, that rat had them this whole time!”

 

“Danzo said my mother found this scroll at the Uzumaki Temple,” Kaiya protested.

 

Tsunade folded her arms with a scowl. “Impossible. She couldn’t have gotten in there. See, back when Uzushio was still around, anyone who emigrated from there to another village was ‘excommunicated’ - they were given a seal that prevented them from being able to access any of Uzushio’s landmarks on the continent, or from directly sharing Uzumaki jutsu.”

 

Kaiya’s eyes widened in shock. “What? That’s ridiculous!”

 

“It may seem so,” Jiraiya shrugged, “but that’s partly how they protected themselves. That way, if an Uzumaki became more loyal to their new home than to Uzushio, or if they were otherwise coerced, they wouldn’t be able to share its secrets or access its holdings.”

 

“Even my grandmother was excommunicated when she married my grandfather,” Tsunade added. “And Uzushio was completely in favor of the arrangement. That’s why she wrote those scrolls in the first place: by writing about the fundamentals, she was able to got around that clause forbidding the sharing of jutsu. The Five Elements jutsu was her own creation, based on those theories. If Danzo’s had it all this time, I doubt your mother ever saw it.”

 

Kaiya’s chest grew heavy. Her mother hadn’t just lost her homeland; she’d been cut off from it, _by_ it. “But why would he lie about that - oh…” She closed her eyes, realizing the answer even as she trailed off. “To make it more personal. In case the whole clan thing wasn’t enough of a draw…”

 

Kakashi, who’d been silent for a while, spoke up. “A draw for what, exactly? What is he asking you to do?”

 

Kaiya turned back to the Hokage to gauge her reaction. “He…wants _me_ to go to the Uzumaki Temple.”

 

Tsunade’s confused expression told her without needing to ask: She hadn’t known about this at all. “Why would he…”

 

“He says it’s to secure and inventory it,” Kaiya supplied. “But I got the impression that you didn’t know, and…I dunno. Something bugged me about it.”

 

“With Danzo, there’s always something more,” Kakashi replied with such gravity that Kaiya wondered what his experience with the man was.

 

“Of course,” Tsunade breathed. “You’ve got strong Uzumaki genes, and you’re not restricted by a seal…how long has he been waiting for this?”

 

With a chill, Kaiya wondered the same - and if this was why Danzo had apparently tried to take her from the orphanage. “What could he be after?”

 

The buxom woman leaned back in her chair with a frown. “There’ve been a lot of rumors surrounding that Temple for years…but honestly, I wouldn’t know where the legends end and the truth begins. But…” Her brow pursed in thought.

 

Jiraiya gave a thoughtful hum. “You thinking what I’m thinking?”

 

“You think he wants me to find a way to Uzushio,” Kaiya surmised. The suspicion had been in her mind since the last chat with Danzo; he’d certainly shown an interest in the Uzumaki’s village, and had hinted that he didn’t agree with the embargo on anyone going there. “What does he hope to find that’s worth risking a war?”

 

“Good question,” Tsunade drawled. “Guess there’s only one good way to find out. Kaiya: When does Danzo want you to go to the Temple?”

 

“He didn’t say exactly,” she admitted. “Just that he’d call on me once prep was finished.”

 

“Hmm…” Her eyes narrowed in thought. “Don’t let him know that you told us anything. Unless he brings it up directly to me, I won’t say anything either, and that goes for you two as well,” she nodded at Kakashi and Jiraiya. “Let’s see how this plays out if he thinks he’s operating without our knowledge. I’d rather catch him in the act of something than accuse him without evidence - he’d just talk his way out of it, and the other Elders would side with him in a heartbeat. You have an ‘in’ right now; let’s use that while we can.”

 

Kaiya nodded. This was now a spying mission. She’d done a couple of short-term ones before, though never on a fellow Konoha Shinobi, and certainly never on someone so seasoned. However, she was already this far into it, and she wanted to see it through. “Hai, Hokage-sama.”

 

* * *

 

After leaving the office, Kakashi walked with her through the Hokage Mansion out to the street. Evening was quickly approaching; the sun was low in the sky, the autumn air already frosty in anticipation of night.

 

“It’s good you’re trusting your gut about our…mutual friend,” Kakashi said in a low voice. “Not many do - and he has a way of drawing people in.”

 

Kaiya rubbed her arm with a frown. “My gut hasn’t always been been that trustworthy. I wasn’t sure if it was just me, or…”

 

“No. You have good instincts, and the intelligence to interpret them. Don’t doubt that about yourself.”

 

Don’t doubt herself…what a strange notion. Of course she doubted herself - she _should_ doubt herself. After all…she’d been wrong, so terribly wrong, about people before.

 

Squeezing her arm, Kaiya once again forced herself to think of something else. Anything…just not Itachi… “So…any interesting missions lately?”

 

“Interesting? Not particularly,” Kakashi shrugged. “Though I’m due to leave for one this evening.”

 

“Good luck.”

 

“And to you,” he replied, his steps slowing. “And…be careful, Kaiya. Especially with him.”

 

She didn’t have to ask for clarification on who he meant. “Why don’t you tell me what you know about him? It’s clear you have a history.”

 

“I can’t.”

 

Kaiya halted her steps, ice creeping into her veins that had nothing to do with the chilly weather. “Can’t? Or won’t?”

 

As though realizing how this must sound to her, Kakashi flinched. “It’s not that. It’s Anbu business - classified.”

 

“If that’s supposed to make me _less_ curious-”

 

“It’s supposed to make you stop asking questions.” His tone was more matter-of-fact than snappy, as though he was reciting a rule that he didn’t necessarily care for. Shooting her a knowing, sardonic glance, he added, “But that’s not really your way, is it?”

 

Kaiya just arched an eyebrow. Really, he _should_ know better by now. “I think this qualifies as need-to-know - as in, I need to know what I’m getting into.”

 

Kakashi sighed. “It’s…a long story. Longer than I can really get into right now.”

 

“What about when you get back?”

 

Looking toward the Hokage Mansion, he thought for a moment. “I need clearance to share it. It involves certain people, certain assets of the village that aren’t supposed to be widely known - though I suppose if anyone should know about them, you should. When I get back, then.”

 

Kaiya nodded, letting the issue go for the time being - though something about the conversation felt oddly familiar. As Kakashi walked away, it hit her.

 

“Kakashi,” she called out. He stopped. “The day Itachi came - that morning, you said there was something you wanted to talk to me about, but then, well…” Then, Itachi had put him in a coma. “What was it? What were you going to say?”

 

Kakashi seemed to think for a moment. “I was going to tell you…well, the truth. About you.”

 

Kaiya flushed. Satisfaction mingled with shame at the realization; she’d been so angry with him for keeping quiet about her identity, and here he’d planned to tell her of his own accord. “Why didn’t you say anything about that after I found out?”

 

“I still had no right or reason to keep it from you for as long as I did,” he insisted. “And…I don’t like giving excuses for things that matter.”

 

“You give excuses all the time.”

 

“Not for things that matter.”

 

His gaze held hers for a moment, and Kaiya’s face warmed further at the implication behind his words. Was he saying that she mattered…to him? Well, her father had been his mentor…that must have been it. She mattered because of who her parents were.

 

A shadow fell over Kaiya’s vision as a new realization hit her: She mattered now. She mattered to Kakashi, and probably Jiraiya and Tsunade, because her of her father. She mattered to Danzo because she was an Uzumaki. For years she’d striven to prove herself worthy of attention, of respect, of anything - and now she mattered for reasons she had no control over, that she hadn’t even known about until weeks ago.   
 

Would Kakashi have agreed to help her months ago if she wasn’t his mentor’s kid? Would he have continued to spend time with her? Would he be trying so hard now to regain her trust?

 

“Kaiya?”

 

Her head jerked up and she saw Kakashi still standing before her. She could just ask him, have him clarify what he about ‘things that matter.’ It would be simple, and then she would know, and she could stop spiraling down that depressing black hole.

 

Instead, Kaiya shook her head and grasped at a chance to escape. “Sorry, just…thinking. I should get going. You too - you have a mission and all…”

 

Kakashi gave her one of his thousand-meter stares that made her feel uncomfortably exposed.

 

“Right,” he said after a moment of unbearable silence. “Take care, Kaiya.”

 

Kaiya let out a breath when Kakashi poofed away, grateful that even if he’d guessed at what she was thinking, he wasn’t the type to press. Yet part of her wished he _had_ asked her something. It was frustrating - what did she want from him, anyway? Why was she so afraid to just ask him what he meant when he implied she mattered to him? Asking questions wasn’t usually a problem for her, so why did she balk now?

 

It was probably better this way, Kaiya decided, wanting to shelve the matter entirely. So what if she only mattered to him because of her parentage? Why should she care?

 

Her apartment felt like a foreign land by the time she reached it. She’d been gone all day - nothing new, but with everything that had transpired since she went to the graveyard before dawn…she was suddenly exhausted. Plopping down onto her bed, Kaiya pulled out the Hiraishin kunai - her father’s kunai - from its home in her pack, hoping to get her mind off of confusing and conflicting thoughts for a while. It had been a while since she last worked on the jutsu, and now it seemed more vital than ever to finally finish it.

 

However, within minutes, the kunai lay forgotten near her pillow as Kaiya drifted into sleep.

 

* * *

 

Night fell fast over Konoha, landing before most households sat down for dinner. Dots of light from windows and street lamps punctuated the darkness; from his high-rise apartment, the village appeared as a field of those dots, each one a hint of a warmth he hadn’t known for years.

 

Sasuke gazed at the village from the balcony of his patio, his hands clutching the rail. It all felt so… _small_. This village, the life it offered him - so insignificant, and so riddled with caveats and rules and expectations. It promised to help him become strong, yet demanded that he dedicate that strength entirely to…what? Upholding the ‘Will of Fire?’ Where was that will when his family’s murderer walked right back into Konoha over a month ago?

 

Agitated, Sasuke leaped from the patio, seeking relief from the coiled tension in his muscles through movement. Missions. Team training. Perfunctory exams. Give your loyalty, give your spirit, give your strength - give everything to the village, yet it gave him nothing back. What good was a village that couldn’t offer true safety? What good was rank when it seemed to be bestowed arbitrarily?

 

What good was a Hokage who died in battle?

 

The Hokage was supposed to be the strongest Shinobi of the village - yet he’d been beaten by his own former student. Orochimaru…at once the Snake Nin’s face made Sasuke’s lip curl in disgust and his blood sizzle with excitement. Orochimaru was strong enough to kill a Hokage. Even the new one, that woman healer, hadn’t been able to defeat him. If the Hokage was the pinnacle of power in Konoha…then Konoha didn’t have nearly enough power to offer him.

 

But what could he do? Go to Orochimaru, prove the Sannin’s prediction that Sasuke would seek him out right? Sasuke’s pride rebelled against the notion, even as that nagging voice in the back of his mind told him yes, yes, that was the solution.

 

Flitting down to an empty training ground, Sasuke decided to do some target practice - anything to force his mind away from this insane idea. He couldn’t go to Orochimaru! That monster hurt his comrades, attacked the only home he knew…

 

_Run, little brother…_

 

…but Orochimaru wasn’t the worst of the monsters out there.

 

Sasuke shoved his hand into his weapons pack, ready to let loose a flurry of shuriken on the targets. His hand brushed against not metal, but…paper?

 

Jolted out of his torrential thoughts, Sasuke pulled the paper out for examination. It was a seal tag…a water seal tag. This was the seal Kaiya had given each of Team Seven’s members before the Chunin Exam.

 

Sasuke stared at the water symbol, the fight in his veins slowly ebbing away. It seemed so long ago, that dinner at Kaiya’s studio. A lifetime ago, almost. Before Orochimaru, before Itachi’s return, before the village had been reduced to a shadow of its former strength. He remembered his determination that evening to conquer the Chunin Exams, how important it had seemed at the time. He recalled how after the invasion, he and Naruto - dare he say it? - actually had fun training together, pushing each other, challenging each other. That had been fulfilling.

 

For a moment, the thought of the loud, obnoxious blond boy didn’t make Sasuke want to hit something. For a moment, he wondered why he’d picked that fight earlier, or why he’d antagonized Sakura to do so. Those two were the closest thing to family he had left - them, Kakashi, even Kaiya.

 

_That’s the problem. They’re too close…they’re holding you back._

 

Besides, they weren’t his family. His family was gone. If anything, today had been a reminder of that. Kaiya, who claimed to care about him like a brother, had looked at him like he was a monster for attacking Naruto. Of course she sided with the blond - didn’t she always? And then Kakashi, trying to act like he had any idea what it was like to lose everyone he ever loved. Maybe he had lost people, but was it at the hand of the person he’d admired above all?

 

Sasuke shoved the tag back in his pack. It all meant nothing in the end. When the moment of truth came, when he’d come face to face with his whole reason for living…he’d failed. Sasuke thought that by the time he turned thirteen - the age _**he** _ had been when he took everything away - he’d be able to match his traitorous brother. But he didn’t even come close. Heck, he didn’t even push Itachi to his full strength - the murderer didn’t break a sweat in beating Sasuke down! All of Sasuke’s training, all of his struggles, all of the pain he’d endured and pushed through -

 

It all meant _NOTHING!_

 

Letting out a feral cry, Sasuke punched straight through the wood-and-straw practice dummy. The destruction brought him a moment’s mental peace; his mind finally cleared, the relentless voices quieting for a few seconds…long enough for him to realize he wasn’t alone in the training ground.

 

* * *

 

Kaiya bolted upright in bed, her hand immediately grasping at the kunai near her pillow. Something had woken her - a noise, a feeling, but what?

 

Her answer came in the form of a light tapping at her window. The hair on the back of her neck stood up. Only one person had ever used that window to come see her.

 

The tapping resumed, two light, swift raps against the curtained glass. Clutching her father’s kunai, Kaiya crept toward the window, sure it couldn’t possibly be…

 

When she carefully lifted the curtain, Kaiya was met with a masked figure in a cloak. For a second, she closed her eyes in relief - it was just an Anbu operative. But why would an Anbu be at her window in the first place? Or…was this one of Danzo’s? She opened the window.

 

“Namikaze-san,” greeted a light male voice. “Danzo-sama says it’s time.”

 

Kaiya’s brows furrowed. Time - for the Temple mission? “Already?”

 

“Please prepare for the journey,” the agent continued. “I am to take you to him.”

 

Meeting in the dead of night for a mission no one else was supposed to know about - not suspicious at all. Kaiya kept the agent in her field of vision as she gathered her supplies. She hadn’t expected to be leaving so soon after their last conversation. “Did he say anything else?”

 

“No.”

 

“Where am I meeting him?”

 

“I will take you.”

 

“But you won’t tell me where.” The silence was her answer. Kaiya sighed. “So what do you know about this mission, then?”

 

“I know nothing, Namikaze-san.”

 

“Really,” she muttered, clipping an extra supply pack to her belt. “And please don’t call me that. It’s…not exactly public knowledge yet.”

 

The agent’s head tilted, reminding her of a curious bird. “What should I call you?”

 

“Just ‘Kaiya’ is fine,” she answered. “What about you? What’s your name?”

 

“I have no name.”

 

Kaiya spun to face the agent. “What do you mean?”

 

“I have no name,” he repeated.

 

“Yeah, I heard you the first time,” she quipped. “But you have a name - or at least a codename, right? What do I call you?”

 

Again, the head tilted to the side. “I was not given one for this mission.”

 

Kaiya stared at the figure, mouth open, unsure of what to make of that. Something about the candor of the person’s tone seemed…strange. Like he wasn’t just dodging the question by claiming to have no name - it was almost as if he truly believed he had none.

 

Kaiya shook herself. “Ready. Let’s go.”

 

Outside, as they were leaving, she spotted a lit window from the corner of her eye. Naruto was still up? Kaiya’s steps faltered. She hadn’t seen him since the fight…how was he handling it? What had Jiraiya said to him? Did he know about the Sannin’s plan to take him away for a few years of training?

 

“Kaiya-san?”

 

“Tell Danzo I’ll be right there,” Kaiya called. “Just tell me where to meet him. I won’t be long.”

 

“I can’t do that.”

 

Again, Kaiya’s head snapped around to face the agent. “Meaning?”

 

A subtle tuck of the masked chin gave away the agent’s discomfort. “Danzo-sama does not like to be kept waiting.”

 

Kaiya had half a mind to tell the figure just how much she cared about what Danzo did or did not like - but she held her tongue. Danzo was a superior, and she was trying to get his guard down. Now was not the time for antagonize the man, and it certainly wasn’t fair to do so through someone else.

 

“All right then,” she answered in a cool, even tone. “Let’s not keep him waiting.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that was a dense chapter. To recap:  
> -Jiraiya has announced his plan to take Naruto for a few years of training…and he’s invited Kaiya to come along.  
> -The scroll Danzo gave Kaiya was actually written by Mito; he lied about her mother finding it in order to draw Kaiya in.  
> -Also, the Uzumaki were REALLY strict about letting information out, to the point of using an excommunication seal on emigrants.  
> -Kaiya and Kakashi may have reconciled, but there’s still work to be done…and Kaiya seems to being having some self-worth issues again. 
> 
> NEXT TIME: A visit to the Uzumaki Temple starts the process of unraveling just who the Uzumaki once were…and leads to more questions than answers. 
> 
> Remember to leave a comment...and Stay Tuned!


	20. The Temple

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who has two thumbs and read a crapload of Wiki pages about Shinto, yokai, and architecture??? Then even MORE pages about Hindu and Buddhist symbolism????? THIS GAL! Because I just have to be extra sometimes. Well, most of the time. Let’s be honest here. I just AM extra.
> 
> Holy crap my brain is exhausted.
> 
> See if you can pick out just how much Japanese folk lore (as well as other Hindu and Buddhist lore) is now included in TUTN ;)

 

 

_The wind whipped all around, yet it made no noise. It sought to freeze her blood and bones, yet she did not move to shield herself. Perhaps she couldn’t; perhaps there was no point in trying. This world was empty but for the wind, no where to go, so no point in moving. Darkness, pure and simple and silent…if she closed her eyes, she’d become that darkness, that void, and the wind would carry her away…_

 

_Warmth blossomed at her back, and then there was a pair of arms encircling her. She leaned back into the embrace, basking in its heat and comfort and sense of_ home. _She smiled. Now when she closed her eyes, it wasn’t oblivion that met her, but gentle light and the faint scent of firewood. Warm lips pressed against her jaw, just under her ear, awakening her body with tingling electricity._

 

“ _Why did you follow me?” whispered a velvety voice at her ear._

 

_Kaiya’s eyes opened. What did he mean? She was already here when he showed up. She opened her mouth to tell him just that._

 

_But her voice was gone._

 

_Suddenly, the embrace was too hot, too constricting; her arms were pinned to her sides, and when she started struggling, his grip simply tightened._

 

“ _Why did you follow me, Kaiya?”_

 

_Panic gripped her. She realized who this was now._

 

“ _Now?” he scoffed softly, his mouth still near her ear. “You knew the whole time who I was, yet you allowed this to happen.”_

 

“ _Kaiya…”_

 

_The new, rattling voice made her freeze in place. Her heart pounded in her ears; she wanted to close her eyes, to block out what she knew would come next, but she couldn’t._

 

_Broken, bloodied, reaching out to her with the last of his strength - Yuuma lay on the ground before her._

 

Kaiya woke with a gasp, drenched in cold sweat and shivering uncontrollably. For a few seconds, she was still in that dream, still captive and helpless and afraid. Another one…her nightmares came more frequently since seeing Itachi months ago, she’d hoped that being on a mission would help steer her unconscious mind away from them.

 

No such luck, apparently.

 

Kaiya sighed and made her way to the inn’s small bathroom, donning her brown wig before leaving the room she’d rented for the night. Traveling in disguise was bothersome, but red hair stood out far too easily. She couldn’t leave any trail on her way to the Uzumaki Temple. She’d only stopped at this inn out of absolute necessity; several nights without any real sleep was dragging her to her limits, and she needed to be sharp for this mission to work.

 

After splashing her face with water, Kaiya gazed at her reflection and sighed again. She  _looked_ tired. Her skin was drawn and colorless, save for the purple smudges forming at the inner corners of her eyes. It was always difficult to get back to sleep after a nightmare, but she’d have to try. After all, in the morning, she’d have to start talking to people and gathering information. Looking dead on her feet wouldn’t fit the character she’d fashioned for the job. 

 

By the time she lay back down on the futon, most details of the nightmare had mercifully left her mind. As she drifted back to sleep, all that remained was the lingering sensation of lips against her jaw and the scent of burning wood.

 

* * *

 

To the best of anyone’s knowledge, the Uzumaki Temple sat somewhere in a dense, elevated forest about halfway between Konoha and the eastern coast. Supposedly, the whole area was what remained of a dormant volcano; its eruptions from thousands of years ago continued to feed the soil to this day, making the Land of Fire the most fertile area on the continent. Since before the Warring States Era, nobles and clans and warlords had fought over the ownership of the land; only when the newly-formed Konoha allied with one of the most powerful noble families of the region did the country unite and stabilize.

 

According to Danzo, the Temple was located somewhere along the summit of the volcano - though that encapsulated an area of several kilometers. He’d had people scout the area in the past, but with little success; they could never find a way to the summit, no matter how many times they tried. Yet once in a while during the past few years, a scout would catch a glimpse - the peak of a roof, the arch of a gate. They would blink, and it would disappear.

 

“What about the locals?” Kaiya had asked him during the briefing on the night she left. “What do they think about all this?”

 

“They know nothing of use,” Danzo replied. “As far as they’re concerned, there is no Temple, Uzumaki or otherwise - and I’m certain the Uzumaki made sure of that.”

 

Kaiya was surprised how easily he dismissed civilians as sources. A local legend could be as revealing as a history book - sometimes more so. The trick was to approach the civilians in a way that they’d talk freely - something people rarely did with Shinobi.

 

Posing as a young writer, Kaiya found plenty of eager contributors in the small villages that dotted the forest’s western perimeter. A smile here, a generous tip there - people opened up to her easily, their stories spilling forth like sake in a bar. There was some variation, but most of their stories contained common threads:

 

Long ago, the summit of the volcano was considered a sacred place; people from all over the land would make pilgrimages here in order to commune with the powerful  _kami_ that supposedly lived there. This, of course, was centuries ago, back when more people believed in that sort of thing. Occasionally, the locals would see travelers come through, trying to recreate the pilgrimage for themselves. 

 

Those travelers rarely returned - and the few who did came back…different. They seemed driven half-mad, babbling about strange apparitions and a lost sense of time. They often had no idea how long they’d been gone, or even how they wound up out of the forest again. The most common thread of all these stories: None of the travelers ever made it to the summit.

 

“None of them? Not one?” Kaiya found herself asking repeatedly.

 

“Not a single one,” confirmed the owner of the tea shop she’d stopped in. “There’ve been so many disappearances in that forest that no one’s even tried in years.”

 

The owner’s wife came up behind him, an empty tray under her arm and a suspicious scowl on his face. “Aw, he’s not bothering you, is he? Don’t encourage him; he’ll talk your ear off if you’re not careful! Can’t resist a pretty girl, this one!”

 

“It’s fine,” Kaiya laughed warmly. “It’s my fault, really - I’m writing a book about folklore, and the stories of this forest are fascinating! I’m trying to get as many versions of the tale as I can.”

 

“Oh, then you’ll want to see Ojii-san,” the woman said with a knowing nod. “He’s actually been in that accursed place. Never was the same after the last time, though.”

 

“Bit ‘off’ in the head,” the owner added, twirling a finger near his temple. “You won’t get a lick o’ sense outta him.”

 

“He’s perfectly harmless, just…eccentric,” said his wife. “I wouldn’t believe everything he says, but if you’re wanting some stories for that book o’ yours, I’d give him a try.”

 

Kaiya perked up. Someone who’d actually been in the forest…maybe this ‘Ojii-san’ could give her some insight. “Thanks for the tip! Where can I find him?”

 

* * *

 

A half-hour later, Kaiya straightened the brown-haired wig that hid her bright crimson locks, adjusted her false glasses, and strode up to a tiny, ramshackle  _minka_ -style house. With a thatched roof in need of repair and a faint hint of smoke escaping a hearth inside, it looked like something out of a storybook. 

 

As she came closer, she found that every tree near the house was wrapped with a thick rope hung with bells or charms; stone  _jizo,_ statues shaped like smiling bald monks that were meant to protect travelers and the weak, were lined up haphazardly around the house. More charms and amulets hung from the eaves, forcing Kaiya to duck just to approach the door. She’d never seen so much spiritual paraphernalia in one place, even at some shrines! 

 

Kaiya was just about to announce herself when she heard rustling and mumbling from the around the side of the house. Peering around the corner, she saw an old man crouched before another  _jizo_ statue, carefully cleaning its smiling stone face and bald head. He seemed completely absorbed in his work; Kaiya made sure to let her steps make some noise as she cautiously approached him. 

 

“Excuse me,” she called softly. “Ojii-sa-”

 

“Ahhhh!” The man jumped and whirled around, spilling a pale of water in the process. His eyes, beady and heavily hooded with age, widened to saucers as if she were a ghost; he brought his hands to his head, covering the few cloudy wisps of hair he had left. “Ahh-ahhh, what be you? Eh, eh-” Fumbling at his side, he scooped a bit of white powder from a pouch at his belt and haphazardly threw it at her. “Begone, unclean spirit! I cast thee out!”

 

Kaiya blinked and looked at the white substance that landed on her hand. Was that…? She gave it a light sniff, then darted her tongue out. Yep. Salt. People still used salt to ward off spirits these days? Then again, given all the sacred iconography around this place…it shouldn’t have surprised her.

 

“I’m sorry to have startled you, Ojii-san,” she said gently, brushing off the salt and giving the old man a polite bow. “I don’t wish to bother you - I’m writing a book about local folklore, and-”

 

“Oh,” Ojii-san breathed, his face turning sour as he shuffled back a step. “Eh, they told ye to come to old ‘Jii-san, did they? Good-for-nothing busy-bodies…Go away. I-I’m busy.” He turned his back and started straightening his spilled supplies.

 

Undeterred, Kaiya crouched beside him. “Here, let me…” She took the empty pale to a well nearby and filled it with fresh water, carrying it back in the time it took Ojii-san to stand all the way up. He gave her a wary ‘thank-you’ when she handed it over. “Ojii-san, please - I’ve traveled a long way to collect these tales. I see you have a lot of statues to care for - may I help, in exchange for your story?” She gave him a hopeful, pleading smile. “You don’t even have to be in the book if you don’t want - or if you want full credit, I’ll happily give it! You’re a valuable source, and I want to honor you as such.”

 

Ojii-san’s hooded eyes darted between her and his expansive statue collection, contemplating. Kaiya doubted he got many offers of assistance out here; the way the locals spoke of him, she doubted his tales were ever taken seriously, either.

 

“You’d listen?” Ojii-san asked, shifting his weight along stick-like legs. “I ain’t never told all o’what I saw…ain’t never anyone listened long enough…”

 

“I’ll listen,” Kaiya promised. “All I ask is that you don’t hold anything back, down to the smallest detail.”

 

Slowly, something lit up in his small, unfocused eyes. After a moment, he nodded, then gestured to the water pale. “W-well let’s get to work, then.”

 

The locals hadn’t been joking when they said Ojii-san could be difficult to understand, but the moment he realized her interest was genuine, he positively overflowed with broken, unstructured narrative. The years had not been kind to his memory, and Kaiya doubted the isolated lifestyle he led helped. Several times he questioned himself as to whether something actually happened or if he just imagined it. She found herself pitying him, wishing someone would just spend some time with him occasionally, instead of ridiculing him from a distance. Little by little, Kaiya put together his story.

 

It was fifty or sixty years ago when Ojii-san tried reaching the summit - the first of several attempts. He’d been a brash teenager and utterly unprepared; his supplies ran out and he had to abandon the trip before even making it halfway up the slope. It was strange, he said - he  _should_ have had enough for full trip, but the hike took longer than he’d expected. Maybe he’d gotten turned around somehow; it was hard to tell in those woods, apparently. 

 

The second time, a terrible storm forced him to turn back; the third, an injury from fall that he swore shouldn’t have happened. Each year, he’d try again, and each year, something made him leave before even getting close to the summit. Still, he kept trying, determined to do what no one else had been able to for centuries.

 

Then, after almost a decade of trying and failing…

 

“I was clever this time, oh, I was clever,” Ojii-san babbled, wagging a finger in the air. “No turn-arounds this time! That forest weren’t gonna trick me again! I left a trail, see…” He stroked a small _jizo_ reverently. “My little friends…my guides…” 

 

A trail? That was  _definitely_ promising. Any chance of shortening her search was welcome. 

 

“Oh, that sneaky forest, it tried, it did, but my little friends - they always put me right,” he continued with a small, dry giggle. “And you know what?” He leaned in, lowering his voice to a whisper, eyes bright like he was sharing the most wonderful secret. “I found it.”

 

He grinned like an excited schoolboy who’d gotten away with a naughty prank. “They never find them, see. You can’t get there if you don’t find them. They were lit up all pretty-like, like someone was home, but it weren’t no fire I ever saw. Didn’t burn, see. But it  _glowed._ ” 

 

Kaiya smiled along with him, resisting the urge to ask him what ‘they’ were. He was on a roll, almost as though he was reliving the excitement of the discovery, and she didn’t want to derail him over a pronoun.

 

“Didn’t know it was there,” Ojii-san said, his grin fading. A shadow fell over his face. “No one ever said it was there. When did they put it there?”

 

‘It’ - the Temple? Kaiya’s entire body tensed with anticipation; it took every ounce of self-control to let him continue uninterrupted.

 

“Dunno what it was for,” he mused. “Felt strange, though…I don’t like it…”

 

He started hunching into himself, guarding against an unseen chill.

 

“Should’a left then…shouldn’t’a looked…b-but there was people there, an’…well, I had to see, didn’t I?” His voice rose defensively. “You don’t just go all that way an’ say ‘good day to you!’ You gotta look! They didn’t see me none, weren’t no harm in looking…”

 

Kaiya nodded in agreement, her mind already spinning. He saw  _people_ there…Uzumaki? She chanced a question. “What did the people look like?” 

 

“Oh…they were just people at first, you know…long robes, like…long hair, too…ohh…” He began trembling, his breath fast and shallow as he spoke in fast, gasping bursts. “But their faces…faces like…demons…they became the demons, and…bloody hair, had to be blood…but the d-demon, the _oni_ , it was there! I saw it! There was nothing, and then the one did something with his hands, and then it was there - and - and -” 

 

Kaiya laid a hand on the old man’s shoulder to steady him, murmuring soothing words to keep him rooted in reality. “It’s okay…it’s over, you’re not there anymore…”

 

Ojii-san shook his head. “N-no, no - NO!” He slapped her hand away with surprising force, eyes wild. “I can’t! Th-they’ll find me, they’ll know!”

 

“You said they didn’t see you,” Kaiya reminded him in a calm tone. “If they did, they’d have followed you - but they didn’t. It’s all right, you’re safe-”

 

“Nooo,” he moaned, rocking back and forth. “No no…not them… _them_ **.** ”

 

Kaiya’s brow furrowed. She really hated pronoun games. “Which ‘them?’”

 

Ojii-san raised a shaking hand. “ _Them…_ ” 

 

Kaiya looked to where he was pointing - but there was nothing but trees and sky. Yet to go by the old man’s expression, something truly horrifying had joined them.

 

Suddenly, he stood, scrambling around for his cleaning supplies and hurrying to his house. “Nonono…gotta purify now…salt, more salt, and c-cleanse the hands and mouth…”

 

Kaiya followed, but Ojii-san spun around to face her on the threshold, blocking her from entering. Producing a string of prayer beads from his sleeve, he muttered what sounded like a temple prayer, never meeting her eyes. The door slid shut not a second later. Kaiya listened through the screen, but she could tell by his manic murmurs and puttering that it was no use anymore. She’d lost him.

 

Well, he’d given her plenty to go on - including what could be a trail of  _jizo_ to lead her in the right direction. That ritual he’d described, though…it sounded like some sort of jutsu, but demons?  _Bloody hair…_ did he mean red hair, like hers? 

 

Like the Uzumaki’s?

 

Demons, ogres…whatever he’d seen, it had scared him to the point of near-insanity. All of these amulets and charms…they were wards against evil spirits. Ojii-san had stumbled across something he was never supposed to see - and Kaiya was determined to find out what it was.

 

* * *

 

The air in the forest was thick and eerily still; despite the cool temperature, Kaiya’s skin quickly grew sticky with moisture. The trees were so thickly knotted that barely any sun broke through the canopy, and breezes were nonexistent. Even to her trained eyes, the forest seemed a puzzle of twisting branches, scraggly roots, and layers of moss that hung like tattered curtains.

 

It would be easy to trail someone in this forest. All one had to do was be careful not to get caught in the intertwined branches and vines. Kaiya was intensely aware of this as she picked her way through the underbrush, looking for Ojii-san’s trail. Danzo had sent her on this mission alone, but somehow she doubted that she actually  _was_ alone. He was too invested in this Temple to leave it to someone he barely knew. 

 

However, there wasn’t much she could do about it. She  _could_ try trapping any pursuers, but that would take time and would be tricky to pull off if they were already tailing her. Besides, she was supposed to be earning Danzo’s trust; one way to do so was to demonstrate her own trust in him, and that meant not trying to expose any potential spies. If she allowed things to play out without interference…she might finally get some answers. 

 

Kaiya found Ojii-san’s  _jizo_ trail quickly. They were tiny, no bigger than two fists tall, and almost completely overtaken with moss and other growth; she nearly mistook a few of them for regular rocks. She collected them as she went, wanting to ensure that no one else could use the trail after her. In their places, she left senbon needles infused with her chakra. She’d be able to locate those easily since it was her energy within them, and their signals were weak enough that they wouldn’t catch most sensors’ attention. 

 

So much trouble to reach a temple that was nowhere near the Uzumaki’s own village! Why would they build one out here, anyway? It seemed utterly impractical.

 

The conundrum jogged a memory from months ago, when she’d been with Kakashi and Sasuke at that sealing site beneath the Forest of Death. Kakashi had said something about Uzumaki Mito commissioning the site to be built because of…what was it? Something about the energy of the place being good for Fuinjutsu? Then…did the Uzumaki build a temple here because of the whole ‘sacred space’ thing at the summit? Weren’t there supposed to be ‘sacred spaces’ all over the place, though? What made this one so special that they went out of their way to erect a temple here?

 

For what felt like the fiftieth time during her hike, Kaiya told herself yet again that she wouldn’t find out unless she found the damn thing. Best to focus on not getting lost.

 

Even with the trail, ‘not getting lost’ was far easier said than done. Aside from the obviously rising altitude, the lack of sky and unmoving air made the forest difficult to navigate. Not only that, but she wasn’t finding any more  _jizo_ statues…

 

Sighing in frustration, Kaiya sat down and concentrated on her chakra signals. Yep…somehow, she was now several signals behind where she should have been. Something had made her loop back to this spot without her even realizing it.

 

It was time she stopped trying to do this completely alone.

 

_Kagebunshin no jutsu!_

 

Her clones fanned out without her. If any of them found anything interesting, they’d  _poof_ away, sending their experiences back to her. If instead any of them got mysteriously turned around, she’d be here to meet them. 

 

She didn’t have to wait long. An identical redhead came bursting through the underbrush within the first hour, looking thoroughly annoyed at being back at the starting point. Kaiya, though, grinned at her clone. “Let’s see what you found.”

 

Two more clones arrived shortly after; with their combined experiences, Kaiya was able to narrow down her search considerably. Somewhere on the northeast slope was something that not just anyone was supposed to find…

 

The  _jizo_ trail picked back up, as she suspected it would, indicating that she was back on track. As she scouted the area, Kaiya wondered how Ojii-san had managed to stumble across the Temple, when only Uzumaki were supposed to be able to find it. She couldn’t see anything unusual about this patch of forest, certainly nothing that ‘lit up’ the way he described. Eventually, the statues ran out again, and this time the clones she formed found nothing unusual about the area. Whatever Ojii-san found years ago had to be around here. 

 

_Lit up…like someone was home…_ What did people light when they came home? Lamps, usually. Maybe candles. 

 

Lanterns.

 

That could be it - some temples and shrines had stone lanterns marking their entrance.

 

Armed with a new theory, Kaiya formed a new batch of clones and started searching in earnest for anything resembling a lantern. They searched - and searched, and searched for hours. Nothing stood out.

 

Recalling her clones and fighting back mounting agitation, Kaiya wished more than anything that she had someone to ask about this. A mentor, a teacher - an Uzumaki, especially. Getting in touch with her clan heritage on her own was proving nearly impossible!

 

Maybe she should just call it a day. It was almost nighttime; the temperature had noticeably dropped already. But if she left now, she’d just have to do this all over again tomorrow - follow the senbon trail, probably get turned around a few more times…no. Better to just keep going for now.

 

The sun continued to set, turning the world blue and black. Kaiya paced among the trees, double- and triple-checking every protrusion from the soil in case it was a man-made object. She tried a catch-all jutsu for dispelling illusions; nothing revealed itself. She even tried the Revelation jutsu to see if there was a seal at work; nothing came up.

 

“Come on,” she groaned to the night sky. “I’m Uzumaki, I’m not sealed off or anything…what else am I supposed to do?!”

 

As though in response, something caught her attention, just in the corner of her eye - but when she looked directly, it was gone. Only trees stood there. She was sure she saw something, though! Frowning, Kaiya slowly turned her head back toward the sky, tearing her gaze away last. There it was again! This time, instead of turning around again, she side-stepped her way to the thing she thought she saw. The closer she got, the clearer it became: One of the trees wasn’t a tree. She reached out a hand when she was in range and met not bark…but stone. Kaiya brought her hands together and focused her attention on the false tree.

 

_Kai!_

 

With the single command, whatever illusion covered the object fell away and revealed it for what it truly was: a tower of individually shaped stones, arranged on top of each other, with an open-ended box-like stone near the top.

 

Just as she’d suspected: A lantern!

 

Elated, Kaiya examined the lantern with a flashlight, but found no container for oil, no wick or wax; where one would normally light a flame was just smooth stone.

 

_It weren’t no fire I ever saw. Didn’t burn…it glowed._

 

Glowed, rather than burned, yet still resembled fire. It had to be something that only an Uzumaki could do…Of course! Chakra! Maybe there was some sort of chakra conductor in the lantern, like the metal used to make her chakra-channeling weapons. Kaiya rubbed her hands together, gathering energy between her palms. Raw, pure chakra…she concentrated on it, shaping it between her hands, not unlike how she’d watched Naruto practice countless times. Only she wasn’t aiming to contain and spin it; she just needed it dense enough to be visible.

 

Her hands glowed with a warm light. She just about had it! Lifting her palms, she placed them inside the lantern, willing the energy to detach. There was no need to try very hard - the lantern absorbed her chakra thirstily, and soon the entire stone structure glowed. Brightest of all were markings that appeared on either side of the lantern box - a trio each of the Uzushio swirl. Finally, the light gathered into the lantern box, hovering like a bright, amorphous flame.

 

Kaiya let out a breathy laugh, amazed and relieved at the spectacle. Now that this one was lit, another pedestaled lantern appeared to her right; she repeated the process. Between the lanterns, illuminated by her chakra, was a stone path - one that she  _knew_ she hadn’t seen before. 

 

Just what kind of jutsu was this?

 

Eyes wide with wonder, Kaiya ventured along the path. More lanterns appeared; she lit them, and soon the forest was aglow with her chakra. As amazed as she was, she wondered if lighting these lanterns meant that anyone could enter the area now. After all, Ojii-san had done just that. Looking back and biting her lip, Kaiya wondered if she should put out the previous lanterns before continuing…but she didn’t know if the path would continue if she did that. She tried to push her senses out as much as she could; sensory jutsu wasn’t a strong point of hers, but with so much of her own chakra floating around now, maybe she could use it to keep tabs on her surroundings.

 

Finding no disturbances in her own chakra, Kaiya kept going. Her pulse quickened with every step, leaping when she saw the telltale  _torii_ gate that marked the entrance to a temple’s immediate grounds. 

 

She’d reached the summit. Beyond the gate, the full moon bathed a small clearing in silvery light, illuminating a stone-covered yard which nature fought to reclaim. Kaiya’s eyes followed the path to a set of rotted wooden steps. A partially collapsed post…crumbling latticed doors…cracked walls, a roof torn apart… Perhaps this had once been a proud, elegant structure, but now it was little more than a faded death trap.

 

And there, carved into the roof of the half-collapsed entryway, was the trademark whirlpool symbol - the symbol of Uzushiogakure no Sato.

 

This was it. This was the Uzumaki Temple.

 

* * *

 

Most temples and shrines Kaiya had come across were remnants of an age long past, predating even the Warring States Era. Back then, when people encountered something they didn’t understand - a rash of bad crops, a plague, some other phenomenon that couldn’t be explained - they assumed it was due to a spirit or demon. Some spirits were thought to be beneficial and bring good luck; others ranged from troublesome to downright malevolent. Shrines were built to “house” these spirits, both good and bad, so that the local community could keep them placated. Most people had since moved on from such superstitions, favoring logical and scientific explanations over spiritual ones, but even so they never abandoned their shrines completely. Nowadays, they were relics, sometimes tourist destinations.

 

This place…it reminded her of some of those shrines, especially in the architectural style. So “temple” wasn’t just a name in this case; it made her wonder what sort of spirits the Uzumaki believed in.

 

Before going in, Kaiya swiftly set up a barrier around the Temple, keeping its borders close to the building. If anyone had followed her here, they wouldn’t be able to get inside now.

 

Kaiya carefully climbed the stairs to the entrance, testing each step to ensure it would support her weight. The wood had a soft, damp feel to it - never a good sign for an old structure. All her training in silent movement couldn’t stop it from creaking ominously as she went. The entire building seemed to moan with age and neglect. No moonlight made it into the front hall, so she had to bring her flashlight out again. Once she lit it up, she nearly screamed.

 

There was a face right in front of her - bone-white, with empty black eyes and a snarling mouth. It stared back at her, not blinking…not moving.

 

Clutching her heaving chest, Kaiya forced herself to calm down. It wasn’t a face, it was a mask. Just a mask. There was no one else here, as far as she knew - there  _couldn’t_ be anyone else here. 

 

Backing up, she saw that the whole wall before her was lined with masks - three rows of nine each. These weren’t like Anbu masks, fashioned after animal heads and painted in red and black swirls. Instead, these seemed to be humanoid, but with horns and sharp fangs protruding from mouths that alternated between smiling and grimacing.

 

Why on earth would the Uzumaki use a temple so far from their homeland to display a bunch of masks? Reaching out, Kaiya gently lifted the one that had startled her from its hook, testing its durability before pulling it away from the wall. It was solid and sturdy, made of wood that had been treated to withstand the ravages of time. Actually…now that she took a better look at the wood-paneled wall the held the masks, it too seemed strangely…intact. There were no cracks, no signs of rot, and the painted flame motif at the base retained its vibrancy.

 

Kaiya’s gaze fell back to the mask in her hands. There was something oddly alluring about the hideous, demonic features - a sort of mischief in the setting of its eyes, perhaps. What was it for?

 

_Find out,_ whispered a little voice in the back of her mind.  _Put it on…_

 

She  _was_ supposed to figure out what was so important about this Temple…maybe she’d understand if she tried the mask…

 

Something white flashed in the corner of her eye. The mask clattered to the floor as Kaiya whirled around, heart pounding. What was that? Was there someone here?!

 

A doorway curtain, pale enough to be mistaken for white, shifted in a slight breeze down the hall. That was all.

 

_Get a grip,_ Kaiya berated herself.  _You’re a Shinobi. Act like one._

 

She picked up the mask and gave it a quick, clinical once-over. She’d almost put the thing on - how dumb could she be? This was a Temple that belonged to a clan known to dabble in arcane and mysterious jutsu! Even if the mask didn’t have any visible seals on it, what was she thinking by almost putting it on? She didn’t know why they were here, or what they did!

 

Shaking her head at herself, Kaiya replaced the mask and ventured beyond the off-white curtain into a larger room that took up most of the temple. This must have been the sanctuary; usually, only monks or other holy figures were allowed into this area of a shrine. Kaiya felt a little awkward stepping inside, as though she was somewhere she really shouldn’t have been. A column of moonlight streamed into the room from the hole in the roof, providing just enough illumination to see what was inside.

 

“Okay,” Kaiya muttered to herself as she shone the flashlight along the walls. “So the Uzumaki had a real thing for masks…”

 

Dozens of masks lined the walls of this room. There were colorful, intricately designed masks that resembled snarling animals; delicate  _noh_ masks, haunting in their relative simplicity; even a few utterly blank ones that sent chills up her spine. 

 

No wonder the Uzumaki had been so feared - she’d be freaked out too if she met a whole army of people in these things.

 

As unnerving as they were, she had a job to do. These masks needed to be cataloged so she could could research them back home. Kaiya supposed she could - probably should - just wait until morning, when she’d have natural light to work by, but that meant staying in or near the Temple. She didn’t want to have to make the same trip again without knowing for certain that it would work, and there was no way in hell she wanted to sleep anywhere near this place. A large handful of Shadow Clones would help the work get done faster, at least.

 

Like the ones outside, these masks seemed strangely untouched by the ravages of time and nature, unlike the building that housed them. No fading, no warping - not even a speck of dust could be seen on any of them. No markings aside from their faces, either; if there were seals attached, each was completely integrated into the mask at its making. That was the only way Kaiya could think of that would prevent the Revelation jutsu from uncovering a  _fuin._

 

“I found something!”

 

It was one of her clones, crouching near the floor at the east wall. She loosened and slid open a wood panel that blended perfectly with the rest of the wall, revealing a small cabinet. Inside was a lacquered wooden box with the Uzushio symbol carved into the top. Kaiya took it from her clone and set it in her lap. There was no lock, no apparent seal; it opened with a stiff creak. If it was valuable, then the Uzumaki must have assumed that it was safe enough in a Temple which only other Uzumaki could enter. Seemed pretty arrogant of them, she thought. Shining her light into the box, she muttered, “What the…?”

 

Prayer beads…a bronze pestle with five prongs on each end…a bell, also made of bronze…what looked like a kunai, but thicker and bearing an ornamental hilt…and a shallow bowl with a few cracks in it. Kaiya frowned. Cracks? No…the texture of the bowl, the placement of the lines…almost like…

 

She nearly dropped it when it hit her. This was made from a human skull.

 

Demonic masks, bowls made from human bone - what the hell was all this? Kaiya swallowed and tried to cast a clinical gaze on the objects. The Uzumaki loved symbols; these couldn’t have been randomly chosen. Now that she thought about it, all of them had symbolic meaning and had, at one time or other in history, been used in rituals. Even the skull bowl had a purpose - both for giving offerings to otherworldly beings, and for destroying evil spirits. The knife could be a stabilizing agent, like the kunai she and Kakashi had used for the  _fuja hoin,_ anchoring the caster to the real world _._ A pestle and bell…masculine and feminine attributes, respectively, and usually paired for balance. Prayer beads to focus and open the mind and spirit. 

 

Together, they formed a theme: connecting to and subduing something otherworldly…something possibly demonic. Kaiya recalled what Ojii-san had seen:  _Faces like demons…they became the demons…There was nothing, and then the one did something with his hands, and then it was there…_

 

Goosebumps crawled over her skin as she took another look at the masks surrounding her. It couldn’t be possible…right? Summoning or invoking demons…there was no such thing.

 

_Says the girl whose brother carries a chakra monster inside of him._

 

Kaiya went to replace the items, but paused when she felt something odd. The box was definitely bigger than the inside would have her believe. Feeling around, she found a small catch - it was a false bottom. Lifting the board up revealed one final item: A large conch shell. There was nothing carved into it, no sign of artificial colors or even protective lacquer. It was just a shell.

 

A shell that formed a natural, perfect spiral.

 

This couldn’t just be a decoration or keepsake. What did shells symbolize? The sea, beauty, sound…weren’t they once used as musical instruments? It wasn’t a symbol she was used to dealing with, though there had to be  _something_ written about it somewhere…

 

Kaiya checked the rest of the secret cabinet in the wall for any other hidden treasures but found nothing. Sighing, she put the box with all the items back inside and tried to slide the door closed - but it was stuck. A corner had gotten caught on the tatami mat on the floor. She lifted the mat away - and immediately found something else to investigate. There was something on the floor, etched into the wood below the mats. A scratch? Or maybe…

 

“Everyone,” she called to her clones. “Help me out here…”

 

They removed all of the tatami mats in a matter of minutes. Across the entire floor of the inner sanctuary, a familiar spidery script weaved around symbols both recognizable and foreign. It was a seal - huge, arranged in concentric circles around a large, central character.

 

_Jigoku_ \- Hell. 

 

“This is insane,” Kaiya muttered, even as a theory formed in her mind: The Uzumaki had found a way to summon demons - actual demons! - and used the masks to…control them? It was crazy, ridiculous, even…but it made a sort of sense. After all, chakra monsters like the Kyuubi existed - why not otherworldly beings as well? The rumors of the Uzumaki’s abilities, how feared they were…it all came together in one disturbing conclusion: They controlled monsters.

 

No wonder they were so secretive.

 

Kaiya copied down the seal into her notebook. She wanted to do a full analysis of it, but not while in a dilapidated temple filled with demonic masks. Besides, she’d probably need every resource she could get her hands on just to translate it fully.

 

For now, she just wanted to finish her work and get the hell out of there.

 

* * *

 

Dawn was fast approaching when Kaiya finally made her way off the Temple grounds. Her chakra pulsed faintly in the lanterns; once she passed by them, they went out completely and disappeared behind her, seeming to melt into the scenery. Such a simple illusion at the end of such a complex warding field… Still, only another Uzumaki could light them, so the Temple was certainly safe for now. She left her barrier up for the time being, just in case; it would eventually come down, but by the time it did, the lanterns would be long out and her senbon trail would be gone. Somehow, she simply knew that if she wanted to return, she’d be able to without a problem; she knew it as easily as she knew the sky was blue and water was wet. She wouldn’t need markers anymore.

 

Kaiya decided to return to Konoha immediately, bypassing the villages and taking the most direct route possible. No need to check in with the locals; it was better that they thought she’d left days ago. She’d take rest breaks along the way after clearing this region; a full cycle’s sleep could be had once she was home.

 

But first, there was one stop she wanted to make. Without Ojii-san’s help, she might never have found the Temple, let alone so quickly. He deserved to know that what he’d seen was real, and that it wasn’t coming to get him now. Maybe she could even put on a show of placing a ward around his home - something to make him feel safer. He deserved some small peace of mind, if that was even possible anymore.

 

Kaiya was close to Ojii-san’s home and about to don her disguise when a familiar scent hit her nose: smoky, with a bit of musk… She froze, stomach clenching. Burning wood. For a split second, she relived her most recent nightmare - the suffocating embrace, the velvety voice in her ear…her dying sensei…

 

No. She shook herself - that was a dream. This was reality, and that wasn’t just any burning wood. Sniffing at it, she noticed a chemical edge, the kind that came with burning  _treated_ wood. 

 

It was a house. It had to be Ojii-san’s house!

 

No time for a disguise. Kaiya flickered the rest of the way as quickly as her chakra would allow; she was there in a few blinks. There was still smoke in the air, which meant something was still burning. Maybe he was still there, maybe she wasn’t too late!

 

Then she reached Ojii-san’s home, and her heart sank.

 

It was gone. The fire had already reduced the ramshackle house to a pile of smoldering rubble.  _Jizo_ statues stood like silent witnesses, some stained with black ash. Some of the remains were still smoking; a beam fell as she approached, scattering embers into the air. 

 

This fire was recent. She’d only been in the forest for about a day - how had this happened?

 

Kaiya circled what was left of the house, looking for - dreading to find - a body. Maybe Ojii-san wasn’t here. Maybe he’d been out when the fire happened, and now was perfectly safe with the nearest neighbor.

 

Even as she tried to convince herself to hope, she knew it was unlikely.

 

Picking through the remains, Kaiya found some of the amulets Ojii-san had hung around his house. They’d been placed with such care, such faith in their power to protect him…for all the good it did him. It wasn’t a spirit or demon who did this - more likely a hearth fire that got out of control. Ojii-san  _was_ quite old. He could have fallen behind on fireproofing his home; he could have fallen asleep, or maybe he suffered a heart attack or stroke. 

 

Finally, she spied what looked like a limb - a leg, there, under another fallen beam! Kaiya dug through the smoking debris, pausing only to wrap a cloth around her nose and mouth as her actions sent clouds of ash into the air.

 

_Please…please be alive…cough, moan, something!_

 

But no sound or movement came from the body. Most of the skin and clothing had been burned completely off, but by some miracle, the face was largely spared. His body was bent beneath the beam, as though he’d been trapped underneath. One hand clutched an amulet made from a seashell.

 

It was definitely Ojii-san - and he was definitely dead.

 

Kaiya’s eyes watered from the ash and smoke, but it was her chest that clenched hard at the sight. She’d only known this man for a few hours; it wasn’t like this was the first time a person had died during a mission she was on. But he’d been so alone, both in life and now, in death…and all he wanted was to feel safe again.

 

She wondered if the locals would mourn him, or if they’d even notice he was gone. Was there anyone to collect his body and give him a proper funeral?

 

Somehow, Kaiya doubted it.

 

The sky overhead grew dark with gathering clouds; it would rain soon, which would slow her down. She had to return to Konoha, complete her mission. Disturbing the scene would be a bad idea, not least of all because it would show that someone  _was_ here after the fire. It was unlikely to leave a tangible trail, but it was still an unnecessary and inadvisable risk. 

 

Kaiya knew all of this intellectually - but she couldn’t bring herself to simply leave. At the very least, she had a few hours to spare for the man who’d helped her succeed in her mission.

 

Looking for a shovel, Kaiya wished - not for the first time - that she’d trained more to develop Earth Chakra jutsu. It would certainly be faster than digging a hole by hand. Well, she’d just have to add that to her ever-growing to-do list. As for where to bury him…that was easy. After all, he loved those  _jizo_ statues - it only made sense that he should be surrounded by them in death. 

 

Kaiya set to work preparing the grave site, dragging the statues into place - until she saw something odd. None of the idols had a speck of moss or dirt on them…

 

…except one.

 

Flecks of dirt and mud stained one side of a particular figurine, as though it had fallen over, then been set back up. But Kaiya had spent an entire afternoon helping Ojii-san clean these; he wouldn’t have simply left a statue in this state.

 

Looking back to the ruined house, Kaiya chewed her lip. It could be nothing. It could be coincidence.

 

Of course, as Yuuma used to say:  _There are no coincidences._

 

This fire happened after she visited, looking for information about the Uzumaki Temple. She was certain she’d covered her tracks and taken every precaution while intel-gathering. None of the locals should have suspected that she’d try to reach the summit herself - including Ojii-san.

 

But Ojii-san was the only one with any  _useful_ information for getting to the Temple. He was the only one who’d been there, who’d seen it - who’d seen what those masks could do. She hadn’t seen him as a threat or a loose end…but perhaps someone else had. 

 

Now that the idea had entered her head, she couldn’t let it go: Some _one_ had done this on purpose, and she already had a suspect in mind. 

 

Danzo - or rather, whoever he’d sent to tail her on this mission.

 

Although she continued her task as though nothing was wrong, Kaiya’s blood boiled. Covering tracks was one thing, but to kill an innocent man? Even going so far as to stage it like an accident? There was no need! He was harmless - he’d just been in the wrong place at the wrong time and seen something he wasn’t supposed to! It actually helped that he had; without Ojii-san and his  _jizo_ statues, she might not have found the Temple at all! 

 

Why kill an innocent person? To cover her tracks? She’d done everything possible to do that already! Ojii-san didn’t have to die! And what about the other people she’d spoken to? If she checked on them, would she find that they, too, had met with mysterious accidents?

 

Was this her fault, for getting them involved?

 

She hated that she couldn’t afford to check on the other people she’d spoken with. It would be too suspicious - both for her image among the locals, and her image to Danzo himself. For now, she tried to convince herself that killing every civilian she’d interacted with on this mission would be overdoing things, even for someone who saw killing a defenseless old man as necessary. Too many deaths meant too many questions, so the others were probably fine. But Ojii-san…

 

“ _You knew the whole time who I was, yet you allowed this to happen.”_

 

Kaiya’s stomach churned; somehow, those words from her nightmare felt eerily applicable. Any doubt she still had about Danzo being dangerous evaporated completely. He was willing to kill innocents over this Temple, and to do it behind her back. He must know that she’d never approve, never trust him if she knew about this. That was why he’d let her go seemingly alone; not just to let her think she was free to explore unhindered, but to “clean up” after her as well.

 

She’d ignored the signs of his extremism, and now a civilian was dead.

 

Well, she wouldn’t let him in on everything she found at the Temple. She couldn’t just tell him that the Temple was empty; he’d definitely suspect her of lying. Instead, she would feed him bits of truth. The masks…she’d tell him about those, but lie about the number. And she’d leave out the box she found and the seal on the floor. Let him think she had no idea what the masks were for and that she wanted his help figuring them out. Then, she might be able to draw him out, make him reveal what he wanted with them.

 

Kaiya finished burying Ojii-san’s body just as the rain began to fall. Laying a hand over the final, freshly cleaned  _jizo_ statue, she gazed at the grave, her only parting message to the old man a phrase she couldn’t utter aloud for fear of being overheard. 

 

_I’m sorry._

 

* * *

 

The rain had passed hours ago, moving south as a lone traveler went further north. His clothes remained drenched, allowing the late-autumn chill to pierce his skin like so many needles. Exhaustion threatened to drag him down to the mud at his feet, but he kept walking, pulled along by some unseen force. He was almost there - he could feel it.

 

What he couldn’t feel was the presence of an enemy closing in. A masked figure stalked him from the shadows, hunting, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike. Seeing the prey in this weakened state, they knew it was now or never. A blade was drawn; the strike would be quick, silent - deadly.

 

And it was - but it was the masked figure’s body that fell to the ground, just a few feet away from the traveler.

 

The traveler’s dark, empty eyes took in the body before him; he was too tired to react with anything other than indifference. When a third figure calmly walked out of the shadows, he was neither surprised nor relieved. He’d purged himself of such feelings, after all. Now, he was empty, devoid of anything but a single purpose.

 

Vengeance.

 

The third figure saw all of this and gave him a small smile while adjusting his glasses. “Welcome, Sasuke-kun. Orochimaru-sama is expecting you.”

 

* * *

 

Kaiya wanted to get back as soon as she could, so she sacrificed a couple of rest breaks. She repeated her plan in her mind as she approached the gates:  _Report to Danzo about the masks. Leave out the objects and the giant seal. Research the rest._

 

Danzo hadn’t set a place for their post-Temple meeting, but Kaiya had little doubt that he’d send for her soon after she returned. He seemed to know everything that went on in the village, so it wouldn’t be long before he knew she was back. She flashed a tired smile to the pair of ninja on duty at the gate - Kotetsu and Izumo, apparently. They usually looked bored to tears when on guard duty, but today, they seemed strangely…alert.

 

“Oh, hey, Kaiya,” waved Izumo. “Guess you had a mission?”

 

“Who doesn’t, these days?” she laughed, trying to mask her exhaustion. “You two look…weirdly focused. What’s up?”

 

“Guess you haven’t heard,” Kotetsu said, leaning toward her with a conspiratorial look. “Well, you didn’t hear it from us, but the other night, that Uchiha kid up and left the village.”

 

Kaiya’s blood left her face. It felt like every organ in her body dropped to the ground. “What?!”

 

A few minutes later, she was speeding toward the hospital, her body buzzing with renewed, frantic energy. Naruto was hurt…he’d been hurt by Sasuke…and Sasuke…he was…

 

“Uzumaki…Uzumaki…” The nurse went down her list while Kaiya impatiently tapped a nail on the reception desk. “Let’s see…ah, here we are-”

 

As soon as she heard the room number, Kaiya took off again, paying no heed to the nurse’s cries for her to stop. Something about it being a no-visitor zone - well, screw that!

 

Rounding a corner, Kaiya nearly bumped directly into a pair of masked operatives. Anbu guards in a hospital wing? “Let me through - I’m-”

 

“We can’t,” interrupted the female operative. “We’re here to collect you.”

 

Kaiya froze, dumbfounded. “Me?”

 

“Fuumaki Kaiya,” stated the other one in a formal tone. “By order of the Council of Elders, you are hereby under arrest for leaving the village without the knowledge of your superiors.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember to leave a comment - I love saying 'hi' to you all! Happy Holidays, and as always...
> 
> Stay Tuned!


	21. Worth a Thousand Questions

_Kaiya nearly jumped when the door shut behind her, leaving her alone in the plain, gray room. She rubbed her arm as goosebumps formed; she’d left her jacket in Sasuke’s hospital room, assuming that the Anbu operative who’d come for her would just take her to another part of the hospital for debriefing. Instead, he’d brought her to the Hokage Mansion, to a room below the main levels that she’d never seen before._

 

_Her heart pounded in her ears. She didn’t sit in the lone chair, just slowly paced around the room, flinching at every small sound that came through the thick door. Was this…some sort of cell? Was she being detained? Why?! She didn’t do anything!_

 

_After what felt like hours, the door opened with an echoing clang. Kaiya spun around, ready to spout every question dancing on her lips, but the sight of Konoha’s Elders shocked her into silence. Instead, she was further confused: why were the_ Elders _, important figures that they were, coming to see her? She’d never dealt with them before; they were part of Konoha’s political foundation, and she, as a recently promoted Chunin, had no place in that world._

 

“ _Please, H-honored Elders,” Kaiya stuttered, unsure of how exactly to address them. “What is-”_

 

“ _You are here to answer questions, not ask them,” said Homura, cutting her off. “Now sit down.”_

 

_She flinched hard, her fingers picking at the fresh cast on her wrist. “I’m okay sta-”_

 

“ _Sit. Down.”_

 

_She practically fell back into the chair at the command, her mouth snapping shut._

 

_Koharu remained in front of her while Homura made a path around the room, hands clasped behind his back. His slow steps made nervous, her skin prickling with the sense that he was watching her intently._

 

“ _Now,” Koharu began, pulling Kaiya’s attention to the old woman. “What were you doing in the Uchiha compound so late at night?”_

 

“ _I-I…” Her mind immediately went to the bodies strewn in the streets, the scent of blood that pervaded the air. She swallowed, trying to breathe normally and think clearly. Why she’d been there in the first place… “I-I was looking for someone…a friend…”_

 

“ _Who?”_

 

_She hesitated, but these were the Elders - her highest superiors save for the Hokage himself. She couldn’t - shouldn’t - hide things from them. “Uchiha Itachi.”_

 

“ _Why?”_

 

“ _I couldn’t sleep,” she offered, licking her dry lips. “S-sometimes he’s up late too, so I went to find him…”_

 

“ _How often did you two meet like this?”_

 

“ _Um…” She felt light-headed. She’d never talked openly about her relationship with Itachi, even to her own teammates. “Sometimes…I don’t know…”_

 

“ _Daily? Weekly?”_

 

“ _I don’t know,” she repeated, brow furrowing. “What does this have to do with-”_

 

“ _Answer the question,” Homura interrupted from behind her._

 

_But she couldn’t focus on what they were asking her. There were bodies - dead bodies lining the streets, and someone had done that! What did it matter how often she met with Itachi?! “What’s going on? Who did all that? Where’s Itachi?!”_

 

_Breathing was difficult; as soon as the question left her mouth, she grew dizzy with panic. Itachi - where had he gone?! His compound was a bloodbath, and he’d just disappeared!_

 

_Koharu’s face held no sympathy. “You tell us.”_

 

_Kaiya gaped, gulping air through an open mouth. What was that supposed to mean? “I don’t know!”_

 

“ _You had a relationship with him,” Homura pressed. “You met with him in secret. What did he tell you?”_

 

“ _I don’t know!”_

 

_The Elders exchanged a glance, their expressions impossible to read - and then they both headed for the door._

 

“ _Wait,” Kaiya called, standing from the chair. “Where are you going? What’s going on?!”_

 

“ _We will return,” Homura told her. “And when we do, you will be more forthcoming.”_

 

“ _What-”_

 

_The door slammed shut._

 

_It went on like that the whole night. The Elders returned several times, always demanding the same information: Why was she at the compound? What had she seen? What was the nature of her relationship with Uchiha Itachi?_

 

_Always she gave the same answers: She couldn’t sleep. Bodies, blood, darkened windows. She and Itachi were friends from their Academy days who’d gotten back in touch a couple years ago and sometimes trained together._

 

_Yet they never seemed to believe her - at least, that’s the conclusion she came to. Why else would they be hounding her about this over, and over, and over again? And what was the point of it all?! Someone - some group of enemies had attacked the Uchiha compound! Had they found the culprits yet? Was it just the compound that was targeted, or were they attacking the rest of the village? Were her teammates okay? What about Naruto? And where was Itachi?!_

 

_They only ever answered the last question, always the same way, and it told her nothing. “You tell us!”_

 

“ _I don’t KNOW!”_

 

“ _You didn’t see him at all?”_

 

_**Say nothing.** _

 

“ _No,” she answered immediately, her head pounding behind her eyes._

 

_Once again the Elders started toward the door. Sick with dread and near tears, she called out to them from the chair. “Please…just tell me what happened. I don’t know what happened! Is he-”_

 

_Her voice choked before she could finish the question. They said nothing, but this time, they didn’t just leave._

 

_She gripped the chair tightly with her good hand and desperately searched their faces. “Please! I’m telling you the truth - I don’t know what’s going on! Why am I here? Why aren’t you out there looking for whoever did this?!”_

 

“ _We know who did it,” Homura answered in a low voice._

 

_They knew? Part of her was relieved - but then why were they holding her here? What was the point of questioning her all night when they already knew what happened?_

 

“ _Where is Itachi?” she pleaded. “Please…just tell me he’s okay…”_

 

_Her wrist was just an accident, she rationalized; he must have sensed some sort of danger, and that’s why he suddenly threw her aside. Besides, it meant she’d found Sasuke. He probably meant for her to take care of him while he…_

 

_While he…_

 

_Her heart pounded in her ears as Koharu spoke. “Uchiha Itachi has fled the village.”_

 

_Fled? Why did they make it sound like he’d done something wrong? She shook her head. “No…he wouldn’t…he wouldn’t leave Sasuke…”_ Or me…  _“Why would he…”_

 

“ _Because he is the one who slaughtered his clan.”_

 

_Everything stopped. Her heart, her lungs, her thoughts…the room shrank around her, her field of vision narrowing so that she barely even saw the Elders’ faces._

 

“… _what?”_

 

_Koharu repeated the phrase - but Kaiya was already shaking her head before she finished. “No…no…you’re lying…”_

 

_Homura’s eyes narrowed behind his glasses. “Why would you say that?”_

 

_She didn’t answer, just kept staring at the same spot on the wall just past Koharu’s shoulder. This wasn’t…they couldn’t be saying…it wasn’t possible, not in a million years…_

 

_The door creaked open again, but this time it was someone joining them._

 

“ _Koharu! Homura!” barked the familiar voice of the Third Hokage. “What is the meaning of this?”_

 

_If there was an explanation, she didn’t hear it. Only when Sandaime came in front of her, bending forward to make eye contact, did she lift her gaze._

 

“ _Kaiya,” he said gently, something like urgency shining from his dark orbs. “Did you see Uchiha Itachi tonight?”_

 

_The night replayed in her mind on fast-forward, certain frames jumping out as their words echoed in her head. He_ was _there, in Anbu gear, a tanto strapped to his back. She saw his eyes meeting hers…the moon peeking through the clouds, reflecting against the streaks on his face…_

 

_**Tell no one.** _

 

_She shook her head, unable to work her tongue._

 

_Sandaime straightened and glared at his colleagues. “That’s enough of this. The poor girl doesn’t know anything - let her go.”_

 

* * *

 

It was the same room, just as gray and dim as it had been five years ago. Even the chair looked the same, complete with scratch marks on the floor under its legs. Pacing, Kaiya tried to quell her gnawing anxiety. Was Naruto going to be okay? What had happened with Sasuke? She knew that Naruto was part of the retrieval team sent after him, and that they’d faced extremely powerful enemies - enough that two of the other genin were in critical condition. But no one (or at least, neither Kotetsu nor Izumo) seemed to know any details of how Naruto had been injured, or how Sasuke got away.

 

She should have been there! If she’d just insisted on waiting to go to the Uzumaki Temple…if she’d been here to help them chase after Sasuke…

 

Guilt gnawed at her insides, but she had to refocus. It was bad enough that Sasuke was gone and that Naruto was injured, but right now, her problem was the Elders and this bullshit arrest. If she wanted to do anything for her boys, she first had to get out of here. Dammit, why didn’t she think to leave a Shadow Clone behind? It would’ve disappeared once she was too far from the village to maintain the chakra connection, but it could have bought her a little time! No…if it had ‘poofed’ away in front of the wrong person, it would have looked even more suspicious.

 

Kaiya paused in her pacing, tapping a nail against her arm. Actually…this accusation meant that the Elders didn’t know about the Temple mission, either. Danzo wasn’t keeping them informed - he truly was acting alone with this. Tsunade probably wouldn’t have told the Elders their suspicions regarding Danzo; Kaiya got the impression that the woman liked the Elders about as much as she did.

 

As much as Kaiya hated to admit it, from the Elders’ perspective, she  _had_ broken the rules. Unless she wanted to blow what little cover she had with Danzo, she’d have to give them something to get her off their back - which meant she’d have to play nice. Be respectful. Remorseful, even. She glanced to the chair in the center of the room. 

 

Oh, this was  _not_ going to be fun. 

 

The Elders didn’t keep her waiting long, at least. When they arrived, Kaiya was already seated, hands on lap, eyes lowered.

 

They wasted no time getting started. “You were missing for four full days. Where were you?”

 

“Just…hiking,” she lied. “I needed some time to myself to process everything. I…haven’t been thinking so clearly lately.”

 

“Evidently not,” Koharu sneered. “The only reason a team wasn’t sent after you, too, was that Tsunade insisted you just ‘needed time.’”

 

Kaiya mentally breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness she’d told Tsunade about Danzo and the Temple mission. That just brought up a different issue, though. “If you knew that, then why am I under arrest?”

 

“You still broke the law,” Homura stated. “And under strange circumstances. Are you aware of Uchiha Sasuke’s disappearance?”

 

“I just heard,” she answered honestly. “What’s being done-”

 

Koharu interrupted her before she could finish the question. “Were you aware that he left the same night you disappeared?”

 

Kaiya’s eyes narrowed. “You think I had something to do with it?”

 

“We think it’s odd that four of Orochimaru’s henchmen somehow made it through Konoha’s security systems,” replied Koharu, “at the same time that you sneaked past them to go ‘hiking.’”

 

“I don’t believe this,” Kaiya said, rising from the chair. “Do you honestly think I’d let any of that snake’s people near Sasuke?!”

 

“As you said yourself,” Homura said with a raised brow, “you haven’t been thinking clearly recently.”

 

Jaw clenching, Kaiya glared at them. Leaving without notice, she’d grant them. Given the state of the village, they had some reason to be put out by that. But suggesting that she actually  _helped_ any of Orochimaru’s people get to Sasuke? If they’d just use the single brain cell they shared between them, they’d realize how ridiculous this was! 

 

She opened her mouth to protest some more, maybe tell them what she thought of their ‘theories,’ but the door opened before she could. Probably for the best - she’d only have landed herself in more hot water at this rate.

 

“Ah, Danzo,” Homura greeted the newcomer. “You’re back-”

 

“What is this?” Danzo interrupted - but rather than looking at Kaiya, he turned to the other two Elders, his face creased with a deep frown.

 

“She needs to answer for her absence,” Koharu defended. “Leaving the village without notice is-”

 

“Something she did on _my_ orders,” Danzo emphasized. “For an errand I requested. That should be explanation enough.” 

 

It shouldn’t have been enough. There were no official mission statements or reports, no apparent knowledge from the Hokage’s office, and it wasn’t like she was an Anbu member who didn’t use the regular channels. She expected the Elders to jump down her throat over her attempted cover story - but they didn’t. Rather, they backed down immediately, a look of resigned understanding coming over their aged faces.

 

“Ah - I see,” Homura stammered, adjusting his glasses. “We weren’t aware…very well. I believe we can leave it to you, then.”

 

“Indeed,” Koharu agreed, already turning toward the door. “Just a misunderstanding.”

 

Kaiya sat in stunned silence for a moment, staring after the Elders as they shuffled out of the room. What the hell just happened? She’d seen how the Elders respected Danzo’s opinion, but this was a whole new level of kowtowing.

 

Danzo shut the door so that it was just the two of them. “I apologize for their interference. I was away on business these past few days, or I would have made sure they had no reason to suspect you.”

 

Rubbing her temples as a headache began to take root, Kaiya felt her patience for farce and subtlety wane. “How…why do the Elders just…listen to you?”

 

“Because they understand that everything I do is for the good of the village,” he answered. “And that as ninja, sometimes we must do things that circumvent established procedures. Rest assured, they will not bother you so long as they know you work for me.”

 

So the Elders had some idea of what Danzo did in the shadows…enough that they didn’t ask for details. It was plausible deniability, she realized. No matter what happened, so long as they didn’t ask too many questions, they could claim to have no knowledge of anything illegal or unethical. It also fit the modus operandi for Root that Kabuto had described. Whatever this was, the Elders condoned it with their silence.

 

Condoned the killing of innocent civilians to cover tracks. Condoned the forced recruitment of children to become soldiers and spies against their wills.

 

“Not being bothered by the Elders?” Kaiya mused with a smirk to cover her clenching jaw. “I could get used to that.”

 

“What did you tell them?”

 

“Nothing about the Temple or the mission to it,” she answered easily, trying to keep a neutral visage. “Just that I was ‘hiking’ and needed some time to myself.”

 

Danzo hummed in approval, his good hand flexing on his cane - a subtle, possibly unconscious tick that belied his calm exterior. “And the Temple?”

 

Here went nothing. “I found it. It’s a storage temple for masks - dozens of them.”

 

“Anything else of interest?”

 

The question came quickly, as though he’d expected to hear of the masks. Curious. “Not that I could find,” she lied.

 

Danzo’s brow furrowed. Was that disappointment she detected? “I see…and access to the Temple?”

 

“It’s secure. It’s hard to explain…I know I could find it again if I wanted to, but I couldn’t draw you a map. And you were right: only Uzumaki chakra can get you inside.” Not much of a lie; she probably _could_ draw a map, but having experienced the strange, disorienting protection around the Temple herself, she doubted even a map would help anyone who hadn’t been there yet. Besides - this meant that Danzo would need her if he ever wanted to access the Temple again, and she’d be able to keep an eye on anyone else he sent there. 

 

Another thoughtful hum. “Let us discuss the masks, then.”

 

Reaching into her pack, Kaiya brought out a storage scroll and released a stack of papers from it - sketches and notes on every mask she’d found. “Here. Maybe you can tell me what they’re for, because I sure as hell don’t know.”

 

It was part ruse to make him talk so she could learn more, part simple impatience that made her cut to the chase. She wanted to see Naruto. She wanted to talk to Tsunade, find out exactly what happened with Sasuke. A bunch of masks at an old, broken-down temple - even if it was connected to her clan - just didn’t seem worth it. Who cared about a nearly extinct clan and what they got up to, if it meant turning her back on the  _living_ people she cared about? 

 

But…an innocent man was dead because someone placed a higher value on an extinct clan’s secrets than on his life. At the very least, she owed it to Ojii-san to find out why. To do that, she had to stay here, watch Danzo’s reactions and gauge his responses.

 

However, Danzo simply pocketed the sketches in his robe. “We will discuss this more once I have had a chance to examine these. You did well, Namikaze-san. I’m sure I will contact you again soon.”

 

* * *

 

Kaiya waited until she was inside the hospital to let out a sigh of relief. Danzo had bought her account easily. Had she overestimated him, or over-prepared for him to press her for details? Maybe he really did know nothing about the Temple, so anything she told him would be news.

 

No…if anything, that was  _too_ easy. He barely seemed interested in the masks until she claimed there was nothing else of note at the Temple. He was expecting her to have found more - he’d basically said as much in one of their conversations:  _you have the drive to question and explore beyond what is set before you._

 

Well, he was right about that. Kaiya had copies of all the notes she handed over, plus more on the seal and items she’d found in the inner sanctuary. Let him mull over the masks all he wanted; she still had a leg up on him.

 

The hospital was just as busy as it had been a couple hours earlier. Kaiya found that Naruto had been moved from the intensive care unit to a regular room - a sign that he was recovering well, thank goodness. Not that it did much to assuage her guilt.

 

Naruto was still out cold when she arrived, but she wasn’t his only visitor. Half-sitting on the window sill on the other side of the hospital bed,  _Icha Icha_ book dangling in his loose grasp, Kakashi looked up from the sleeping blond with a tired gaze. 

 

“Hey,” she greeted.

 

“Yo,” he replied.

 

For a moment, only the faint beep of monitors and the occasional shuffle of a gurney in the hallway punctuated the silence. Kaiya moved closer and covered Naruto’s hand with her own; it was limp, but warm. Bruises marred his sunkissed skin; bandages tightly wrapped his wrist, possibly broken.

 

“He’ll be okay,” Kakashi said. “The worst of his wounds have already healed. I guess that’s what happens when you mix Uzumaki and Kyuubi chakra.”

 

Kaiya nodded, her eyes glued to Naruto’s sleeping face. If the worst had already healed like Kakashi said, then what had he looked like before? “What happened?”

 

She heard Kakashi take a deep breath in. “As far as I know…Orochimaru sent some of his people here to bring Sasuke back. I guess he got tired of waiting for Sasuke to leave on his own. A retrieval team was sent out, but they were outmatched. Luckily, Tsunade-sama was able to send help - those three siblings from Suna, the ones from the Chunin Exams, came along with their village’s delegation for the peace talks. They made a huge difference. Everyone in the retrieval team is alive thanks to them.”

 

There was a note of bitterness in his voice as he spoke, and Kaiya could sympathize. Yes, it was good that Suna had come to their aid…but they shouldn’t have had to.

 

“I heard what was going on when I got back from a mission,” Kakashi continued. “Left as soon as I could to find them. I…was too late. Sasuke…he was already gone.”

 

Kaiya had to refrain from squeezing her brother’s hand - she didn’t know if it was injured or not. “So…Sasuke did this?”

 

“…yeah.”

 

Sasuke had given him these bruises. Broken his bones. Put him in a coma. The boy Naruto considered his best friend did this to him, then left him alone in a state that, had no one found him, could have…could have…

 

Letting go of Naruto’s hand, Kaiya gathered a fistful of his sheets. “It should’ve been me. I should’ve been there. This shouldn’t have happened.”

 

“It wasn’t your responsi-”

 

“Like hell it wasn’t!” Kaiya caught herself and lowered her voice again. “If I hadn’t left - I _knew_ they were both-” 

 

“I knew too,” Kakashi said evenly. “I left, too.”

 

“You had a mission. An official one. You couldn’t help that.”

 

“I could have turned it down,” he protested. “I could have cited the tension in the team as reason to stick around, at least for another day. As it is…I truly didn’t think it would come to this.” He gazed down at his unconscious student. “Not exactly sensei of the year, am I? I seriously misjudged Sasuke. I’ve basically ignored Sakura. I came back just in time to find Naruto, but Sasuke…”

 

“You’re not the only one who didn’t see it coming,” Kaiya murmured. The exhaustion from her trip, as well as everything that happened in the hours since she returned to Konoha, descended on her all at once. “I should’ve been _here_. I can’t even say that I was on an important mission for the village…I don’t know what I really accomplished by going…” 

 

“You’re not to blame.”

 

She gave a wet huff. “Aren’t I? I mean…you’ve been their sensei for what, a year? I’ve been here for a lot longer. I should’ve been able to…” She trailed off, at a loss for what she should have been able to do. “He was hurting, and I just…I couldn’t…”

 

Her vision began to blur, and suddenly there was a hand on her shoulder, and Kakashi’s tall, solid figure next to her. “Then maybe we weren’t enough - maybe we never could have been enough - but  _this isn’t your fault.”_

 

The tears spilled onto her cheeks. She felt so cold, so helpless. She hadn’t been able to keep Sasuke from leaving. She hadn’t been here to go after him, or to protect Naruto. Once again, she’d been too late, too powerless, too  _stupid_ to see what was right in front of her eyes…

 

Kaiya leaned forward toward Kakashi, resting her forehead to his chest as soft sobs hiccuped from her own. She was too far gone to be self-conscious about this, to notice his body go stiff at first. He was here, warm, solid, steady, and she needed that.

 

Kakashi’s hands came to her shoulders, not quite embracing her, but not pushing away, either. He let her stay there as she let out her shame, her anger, her grief in the form of tears. She’d failed Sasuke, and now he was gone. She’d failed Naruto, who was now hurt worse than she’d ever seen.

 

“He isn’t gone forever,” Kakashi said, perhaps as much to himself as to her. “We’ll get him back.”

 

The promise of action, of something she could  _do_ , helped calm her, stopping her tears and giving her strength to hold herself upright again. Yes. So long as Sasuke was still alive, they’d find him. 

 

“Yeah - no, you’re right,” she said, wiping her eyes. “We’ll find him. No matter what.”

 

* * *

 

A new routine developed for Kaiya after that: wake up, train, hospital, research, drag herself back home to sleep.

 

As soon as they knew she was back, Hikaru and Gorou, already aware of the situation, made a point of checking in with her daily. Both would bring her food, then stick around until she ate most of it. They didn’t ask about what had happened; they knew that when she needed to talk, she would, and she knew they’d listen when she was ready. Gorou told her stories about the kids he taught at the Academy, bringing Kaiya out of her own head for a bit. Hikaru was less conversational, but silence with him was comfortable, often punctuated by him puttering around her tiny apartment.

 

One evening, while sitting at Naruto’s bedside, Kaiya looked up to a light knock on the door.

 

“Yo,” greeted Gorou, lifting a bag laden with tupperware. “Thought ya might be here. ‘Kaa-san made some of her famous stew - I got a date tonight, so I wanted to make sure you got this…”

 

Kaiya gave him a smile and took the bag. “Thanks, Gorou.”

 

Gorou nodded and lingered at the doorway, hands shoved in his pockets. “So…how’s the runt doing?”

 

“Still unconscious,” Kaiya answered, turning her gaze back to the blond. “Bruises are clearing up, though. Tsunade-sama said his body seems to be doing fine healing itself, it’ll just take some time.”

 

“Well that’s good, right?” Gorou offered a hopeful smile. “I mean, the kid’s tough, and if he’s anything like you, he’ll be up an’ at ‘em in no time.”

 

“That’s the hope.” She didn’t say that this was the longest time to her memory that Naruto had been unconscious from a fight, or that his injuries had never taken this long to heal before. She didn’t want to ruin Gorou’s optimism; if anything, she wanted to borrow it for a while. Her own brain didn’t seem able to muster it on its own right now.

 

With a sigh, Kaiya looked back to her old teammate and near-lifelong friend. “You look nice. First date?”

 

“Fourth, actually,” Gorou grinned, rubbing the back of his tan neck. “I think this might actually turn into something. I know, shocker, right?”

 

“Not at all,” she answered wistfully. She was glad that he was finding something good and stable. He deserved it.

 

Gorou seemed reluctant to leave, shifting from one foot to another. “So…you okay tonight? I know Hikaru’s busy too…”

 

“I’m fine,” Kaiya insisted, giving him a mock-glare of annoyance. “I’m a big girl and all. Go, have fun.”

 

He bobbed his head one more time and backed out. Kaiya almost wanted to call out,  _Don’t do anything I WOULD do,_ but decided against it. This was Gorou’s dating life, not hers, and she didn’t want to give him reason to think she was less okay than she seemed. Besides, she was fine. Really. 

 

Kaiya glanced at the clock and sighed. Visiting hours were almost over; soon, a nurse would be by to chase her out. Might as well beat them to the punch.

 

Coming out of Naruto’s room, Kaiya nearly collided with another person just outside the doorway. It was a boy - shock of auburn hair, pronounced dark rings around his eyes…an eerie sense of deja vu washed over her.

 

“You’re Sabaku no Gaara,” she muttered aloud, taking an unconscious step back.

 

Gaara tilted his head to the side, peering up at her with his piercing glasz eyes. “You…I know you…”

 

Maybe he didn’t recall that night, she realized - the night he’d killed that Chunin candidate from Otogakure and then bumped into her. “Oh - I guess you don’t remember, it was only a minute or two-”

 

“I remember,” Gaara countered without inflection. “You’re Fuumaki Kaiya. Naruto spoke of you - that’s why I remember.”

 

Kaiya blinked in surprise. “Naruto did…?”

 

“When we fought,” Gaara explained. “He said that you were one of the only people who saw him as a person. That if it weren’t for you, he’d have been just like me.”

 

For the first time since returning from the Uzumaki Temple, Kaiya felt some warmth seep back into her body. Then she noticed that Gaara seemed…different, somehow. The impression he’d made on her months ago had been one of an unstable psychopath. Now, though, he appeared calm, thoughtful, composed, with no hint of that bloodlust that had struck her cold last time.

 

“Are you here to see him?” she asked, gesturing toward Naruto. “Thank you, by the way - for your help with everything. From what I understand, it made all the difference.”

 

“I have a debt with Naruto,” Gaara said, gazing past her. “One that I will never be able to repay. When I heard the reason for the request…”

 

Kaiya’s gaze lowered as some of the cold grief crept back into her bones. “You mean Sasuke.”

 

Gaara gave a small nod. “I recognized the loneliness in Uchiha Sasuke’s eyes. At the time, it seemed we were equals - both of us fated to dwell in darkness, our only purpose to destroy that around us. To live only for ourselves…Naruto made me realize how wrong I was. I thought that if anyone could get through to Uchiha Sasuke, it would be Naruto, because he was the first person who got through to me.”

 

Kaiya listened to the young teen’s speech with a mixture of awe and sadness. She’d barely glimpsed what Gaara was like before, but the change in him was so pronounced it couldn’t be overlooked. He credited Naruto, her baby brother, with that change, believed him capable of doing the same for others… “Sounds like you have a lot of faith in him.”

 

“Don’t you?”

 

The question took Kaiya aback. Of course she did, she wanted to insist. But…did she? She loved Naruto and wanted only the best for him, would move mountains if it meant making things better for him.

 

But she couldn’t always be there for him. She couldn’t fight his battles - and if Gaara was anything to go by, she shouldn’t. Naruto had gotten through to Gaara because he was the one to fight the Suna nin - no one else could have had that same impact.

 

He didn’t have that impact on Sasuke, though…at least, not this time.

 

Before Kaiya could answer Gaara’s question aloud, two more people rounded the corner.

 

“Gaara,” one of them called out, visibly relieved to see him. She was about Kaiya’s height with four dirty-blonde pigtails, wearing a purple kimono-style dress. “There you are! I thought we talked about this!”

 

“Yeah, you can’t go disappearing on us like that,” said the other one, a guy wearing a hooded black jumpsuit with painted purple stripes on his face. He seemed less at ease admonishing the younger boy than the blonde girl was.

 

Gaara apologized for worrying them, and Kaiya found it interesting that none of the trio seemed quite comfortable in their communication with each other. These were Gaara’s siblings, she realized - she recognized them from the Chunin finals. Having a faint idea of what living with a pre-Naruto Gaara must have been like, Kaiya wondered if they were all still adjusting to his change of personality.

 

“He was just going to see Naruto,” she offered, drawing the two Suna nin’s gazes to her. “Though Naruto’s not awake yet. I’m afraid it’ll be a pretty quiet visit.”

 

The blonde girl sized her up with piercing teal eyes that were several shades darker than her brother’s. “Sorry - who are you?”

 

Kaiya had to bite back a small smile. She recognized that look of suspicion, having worn it many times herself. Whatever the new dynamic was for these three, the girl was perfectly fine letting her protective streak show. She was proud to be Gaara’s family, and didn’t mind letting others know.

 

Well, she wasn’t the only one.

 

“I’m Uzumaki Kaiya,” she stated, holding her hand out to the blonde. “Naruto’s sister. Would you three like to grab a bite with me? I’m sure we have plenty to talk about.”

 

* * *

 

“There we go…” Shizune took the last of the signed forms from Tsunade’s desk and smiled at Kaiya. “That should do it! You are now officially ‘Uzumaki Kaiya.’”

 

Tsunade shook out her writing hand. “So what prompted the decision?”

 

“It just…seemed right,” Kaiya shrugged. “There’s no real reason to hide it anymore. Besides, I doubt it’ll be _that_ shocking around here, especially since we aren’t bringing up our parents yet.” 

 

Tsunade gave a thoughtful hum, fingers tented under her chin. “Anything else of note going on?”

 

Kaiya pretended to think while Shizune gathered up the forms. “Well, I had dinner with the Suna trio yesterday. Leave it to Date-’kaa-san’s special stew to break the ice between villages!” She heard the door close behind her - Shizune had left the room. It was just the two of them now. “And I found the Temple.”

 

Tsunade’s amber eyes lit up and she leaned back in her chair. “And?”

 

Kaiya told her about the mission as concisely as she could, leaving nothing out. “I need to do some research, but have you ever heard of anything like what that old man saw?”

 

“I never saw the Uzumaki in battle,” Tsunade admitted. “They didn’t answer the call during the Second War, and then Uzushio was destroyed…but I’ve heard stories, enough to say that it wouldn’t surprise me if they _were_ summoning demons. As for the summoning seal - I’d talk to Jiraiya, actually. He’d probably have more theories than I would.” 

 

Kaiya inwardly squirmed at the idea of going to Jiraiya for help, but held her tongue on the matter. “By the way, the Elders tried to arrest me when I got back.”

 

“What?!” After hearing the whole story, Tsunade rubbed her temples with a scowl. “Those meddling old fools! I told them you were fine, but I swear they just don’t like me. Or anyone with a strong opinion, for that matter. But that they backed down so easily for Danzo…that’s worrying. And what happened with that old man you met…kamis, it’s the Foundation all over again…”

 

“The Foundation?”

 

“It’s an organization Danzo founded decades ago,” the blonde woman explained, her nose wrinkling in disgust. “Very fundamentalist group of people who believed that ninja law should be strict and absolute. The way those people spoke, sometimes…it was like they wanted to plunge us back into the Warring States Era. Can’t trust anyone, always strive to be stronger than everyone else. More often than not, they argued against peace treaties or pushed for more extreme reparations when we won wars.”

 

Leaning back in her chair, Tsunade crossed her arms over her chest with a pensive frown. “At some point, Danzo persuaded Sandaime that even Anbu wasn’t enough to keep Konoha safe. I’d bet that he used the Foundation to pressure Sandaime and the Elders into it, but in the end, he got a compromise of sorts: his own training division, separate from Anbu and off the books. Higher-ups knew about it - clan leaders, division heads. They had to, since Root pulled from their ranks-”

 

“Wait,” Kaiya interrupted in alarm. “What did you just call them?”

 

“Hm? Oh - ‘Root.’ It was a nickname for the Foundation, particularly that training division, since they share a kanji character.” Tsunade peered at her whitening face with a piercing gaze. “You look like you just saw a ghost.”

 

“I - I think I’ve heard the name,” Kaiya said. “I wasn’t sure what it was, but…”

 

Nothing in Tsunade’s expression suggested that she believed this to be the whole truth. “That would be pretty odd, considering that Root was disbanded several years ago by Sandaime.”

 

Disbanded? “How long ago?”

 

“Five years ago or so. Danzo retired around the same time.”

 

Long after she’d left the orphanage, then. Though that made her wonder…if Danzo had a legitimate training division under his control, why did he try to bribe the orphanage for her? Why not just bring her in as a recruit?

 

And if it had been disbanded… “What happened with the people in the training division after it was closed down?”

 

“As far as I know, they were integrated into regular Anbu. Not a ton of them in the end - I have a list of Anbu members, and it indicates who came from Root. Barely half a dozen are left, actually.”

 

Kaiya wondered if the cloaked-and-masked agents she’d encountered so far were on that list. Even if they were, from what she’d seen, they answered to Danzo. “What did Root do?”

 

“Honestly? I’m not sure. They were like Anbu, but…more so. The most I can say is that any time we’ve had intel from Root, it’s been on point. Danzo managed to get people deep behind enemy lines.” Her expression darkened. “There were rumors, though - whispers that Root did more than just spy on our enemies. There was never anything definitive, but if even a little of it was true…we’re looking at broken treaties, subterfuge that goes against Shinobi code - things that would lead directly to war with the other nations.”

 

Kaiya had enough confirmation. Root existed -  _still_ existed - and it was dangerous. Whether she’d almost been a part of it as a child…there were very few people alive who could confirm that, and most of them would be endangered if she asked them about it. As for the more immediate threat… “So…trying to go to a forbidden village would be something Danzo would do?” 

 

“Very likely,” Tsunade nodded with a sigh. “It’s probably good that you’ll be gone for a while - assuming you take Jiraiya up on that offer, of course. But it would mean that the only person who might be able to get to Uzushiogakure would be out of Danzo’s reach.”

 

That was true…but something told her that if this was something Danzo wanted badly enough, he wouldn’t let that get in his way.

 

* * *

 

Kaiya left the Hokage’s office with far heavier thoughts than when she’d arrived. Until Tsunade had brought it up, she’d almost forgotten about Jiraiya’s offer. Maybe the Hokage was right; maybe it would be best for her to go, even if it meant three  _years_ of traveling alongside the perverted Sannin. Sasuke was gone; her teammates were moving on with their lives. She’d get to stay with Naruto, maybe even learn a bit from the Toad Sage herself. Was he really as good with Fuinjutsu as Tsunade seemed to think? She  _could_ use a mentor…

 

“Ah - Kaiya-san, wait a minute!”

 

Jolted from her thoughts, Kaiya turned to see Shizune coming toward her. “Hm? Does Tsunade-sama need something else?”

 

“Oh - actually,” Shizune began, “I was hoping to catch you. I have something for you!”

 

Curious, Kaiya followed the taller woman down the hall to a small storage room, where Shizune handed her a mid-sized box. “Well, I can’t really lay claim to this - Jiraiya-sama is the one who found it, he just asked me to make sure you got it.”

 

Kaiya took the box with a furrowed brow. “What is it?”

 

“Honestly, I’m not sure,” Shizune admitted. “But he really wanted you to have it, even if he wasn’t here to give it to you himself. Actually, I think he probably preferred someone else giving it to you...” She brushed a dark lock from her face with a sheepish smile. “Sorry, that’s really none of my business! He did say to wait until you were home to open it, though.”

 

“Okay - thanks...” But Shizune had already rushed off to her next task.

 

Kaiya’s curiosity burned all the way back to her apartment. What did the Pervy Sage want her to have so badly? As soon as she was home, she removed the lid and was met with...packing paper. Thrilling. No, wait - one folded piece of paper was a note:

 

_Kaiya,_

 

_I know I’m not your favorite person, and this isn’t me trying to win your affections or whatnot. Well, maybe a little, but this belongs to you. Not sure why the Council was dragging its feet on this, but I figured you’d get this sooner if I just looked for it myself. One of the perks of being Sandaime’s student is getting access to his stuff, and I’ll tell you, he had this buried pretty deep! Anyway, consider this a birthday gift - one of many that’s long-overdue._

 

_-Jiraiya_

 

The Council...Sandaime...wait, was this...? Eyes wide, Kaiya tore through the packing material, heart pounding, breath quickening.

 

Three knit scarves - one yellow, one peach, one red - lay on top. With the care of someone handling a delicate artifact, Kaiya lifted the peach one. It was soft, not scratchy at all, with a bit of navy forming a subtle pattern along the long edges.

 

“ _Papa, wait! I forgot my scarf!”_

 

Kaiya gasped and nearly dropped the scarf. This...this was familiar. Lifting it to her face, she pressed her nose into the soft wool, then rested it against her cheek.

 

“ _Bundle up, Kaiya-chan, it’s cold outside…”_

 

Her vision went blurry. She knew this. She  _remembered_ this. Then...this box...

 

These were her parents’ affects.

 

Hands shaking, Kaiya gently lay the scarf aside, then placed the other two with it. She could barely breathe. There was more in the box: a blanket, worn and faintly stained with something dark in spots. A small paperback entitled  _The Tale of the Gutsy Ninja._ A wide-sleeved coat trimmed with a flame pattern, the characters for  _Yondaime Hokage_ embroidered down the back…

 

“ _Well? Do I look like a Hokage?”_

 

“ _Nah, you look like my Papa!”_

 

Her breath caught as she held the coat in her hands. This was her father’s…she could almost see him donning it with a swish, modeling it for her with a smile, then scooping her up in his arms to swing her around the room.

 

Kaiya hugged the coat to her chest as she started sobbing. It wasn’t sadness, so much; more like  _relief._ She remembered this coat. She remembered her dad! It was only a fleeting glimpse, a few flashes of sound and sight and sensation, but it was more than she’d had in thirteen years. 

 

When she was able to breathe normally again and her eyes weren’t blurred over with tears of joy, Kaiya looked back into the box. There was something else in there, something that had sat beneath the folded coat. Another book - no…a  _photo album._

 

She almost didn’t want to take it out. Surely, this was too good to be true - actual, photographic evidence of her family? Of her childhood? And - shouldn’t she wait until Naruto was awake? He’d want to see this, too.

 

But holding that scarf and her dad’s coat had sparked something - something she hadn’t experienced yet in the weeks since learning the truth. It had sparked a feeling. A  _memory._

 

Kaiya lifted the photo album from the box with the reverence of one holding a holy book. Still, she hesitated to open it. What if there was nothing inside? What if she saw pictures of her parents, but felt nothing again? She’d felt nothing seeing images of her father before; she doubted she’d recognize her mother at all, and the Uzumaki Temple, a part of her heritage, had been more unsettling than anything. She wanted to remember things. She wanted to recognize her own life. What if she just...couldn’t?

 

Indecision had her sitting in the middle of her floor for what felt like hours. Then, finally, she decided to just get it over with, to rip off the bandage and deal with whatever was underneath. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, opened the album - and looked.

 

Her eyes were immediately drawn to a familiar face - the blond-haired Fourth Hokage. But this was unlike any other image she’d seen of him; in this picture, he was smiling, his bright, sapphire eyes locked adoringly on a young woman in his arms. The woman...she had long red hair, but that was where the resemblance stopped. No...that cheeky grin, those round eyes and blunt chin...the coloring was different, but the face was definitely Naruto’s.

 

This was their mother - Uzumaki Kushina.

 

Kaiya’s trembling fingers brushed over her mother’s smiling face. She looked so happy, so vibrant and alive...Kaiya could almost hear the woman’s laughter through the photograph. They were both so young, too, probably not much older than Kaiya herself. How old - how  _young_ had they been when they died? 

 

She turned the page. A wedding photo, more sober and sedate than the first picture, but neither the bride nor groom could hide the joy in their eyes. The next photo was also from the wedding, but featured many more people. Some of them Kaiya recognized: Sandaime, Jiraiya...there was also a dark-haired and quite pregnant young woman smiling next to her mother. She seemed a little familiar, but Kaiya couldn’t place her.

 

Then she spied a face in the crowd that almost made her laugh. No, it couldn’t be...but the shock of silver hair and ever-present mask were dead giveaways. That was Kakashi! He was so... _small_ . How old was he when this was taken? Eight, nine years old? He must have just come under her father’s tutelage. He wore a dour expression and stood with two other kids, maybe a year or so older than him. A boy and a girl...Obito and Rin? 

 

Kaiya carefully lifted the photo out of its sleeve and checked the back. Yes, there was a date: March 25...wait, that was the year she was born! And if she did the math...her cheeks colored. Her mother was probably already pregnant with her at the time. Well...that could explain why they married so young.

 

Most of the following pages were filled with photos of her mom - perhaps her dad had been the photographer. There was her mother opening gifts at what looked like a baby shower; her mom with that dark-haired woman and a small, equally-dark-haired baby on her lap...there was even one of her mom brandishing a ladle at a younger, terrified Jiraiya, her crimson hair seeming to come to life in her outrage.

 

For the first time, Kaiya felt a connection with one of her parents.  _Like mother, like daughter, hm?_

 

Then there was a baby in Kushina’s arms - a small, pink-skinned thing with bright blue eyes and wisps of scarlet swirling around its head.

 

That...was her?

 

As much as Kaiya was surprised to see, well, herself, what took her more aback was the way both her parents were looking at her in every photo. This was...adoration. Joy. Love. They loved her, just as Jiraiya had said.

 

Kaiya had to stop for a moment as her vision blurred again. This was it - definitive proof that she’d been loved, that she’d belonged to someone once. That she’d had a  _family._ She wished she could hear what they were saying, see how they moved, feel the warmth of the embrace they so often gave her in these photos. For the first time that she could recall, she had not just faces and names, but  _feelings_ associated with her forgotten parents. For the first time, she didn’t just miss the idea of them.

 

She missed  _them._

 

Taking another deep breath, Kaiya kept flipping through the pages, devouring them with her eyes. She’d never felt so hungry, so thirsty for...she wasn’t sure what. But every photo she came across simultaneously fed and deepened that need. The more she saw, the more she needed to see.

 

Strangely, that dark-haired woman and child showed up in several more photographs. She must have been a close friend; Kaiya had seen no one else featured in so many of the album’s pictures. It looked like the child - a boy, going by the clothing - had been a playmate of hers. So she’d had friends back then, too.

 

Unfortunately, unlike the wedding photos, most of these weren’t dated and included no information about the people in them. Well, it was a family album; one would assume that the people looking at the pictures would know something about the subjects. Kaiya was wondering how she could find the mystery boy when she came across a clue that made her heart stop.

 

In one photo, the boy - now a toddler - had his back to the camera, and on his shirt was a clan crest.

 

The  _Uchiha_ crest. 

 

Maybe her first thought should have been,  _Well, guess he’s not around anymore._ After all, chances were he was dead with almost every other Uchiha. But dread built like bile in Kaiya’s throat and blocked out any rational assumptions. Her limbs felt stiff as she slowly turned another page, then another, both wanting and not wanting to find more. It wasn’t possible. It had to be a coincidence. There was no way...but every time the boy showed up, he grew increasingly, unsettlingly, familiar. 

 

Her mind filtered through any pictures that didn’t have the boy in them, so Kaiya barely noticed as her mother again started showing in pregnancy. Then, one of the last photos had her clamping a hand over her mouth.

 

No. No, no, no, no, no...

 

Kaiya plucked the photo from the album and rushed blindly from her apartment. It wasn’t possible. She was seeing things. She repeated this like a mantra as she leaped across rooftops, her destination clear in her mind. It was raining, but she barely noticed, except to tuck the picture safely against her chest. There was at least one person in this village who’d be able to tell her what this was about.

 

Kakashi opened his door to her frantic knocking within seconds. “Kaiya, what-“

 

Out of breath more from panic than anything else, Kaiya shoved the photo up to his face. “Is this - did I -“

 

Kakashi took the photo from her and studied it briefly, his eye widening. Kaiya knew what he was seeing, though she still couldn’t believe it:

 

It was a picture of three children. One was Kaiya herself, perhaps four or five years old, her head resting on the shoulder of the dark-haired boy next to her - only, now she was sure of who he was. The twin lines that streaked partway down his cheeks were undeniable. Little Kaiya beamed directly at the camera, but his dark eyes were trained warmly on the bundle in his arms - a baby boy with wide black eyes and black hair that already stuck up in the back.

 

Kaiya swallowed and finally found the words she needed to ask aloud.

 

“Did I know him before the Kyuubi attack? Did I know Uchiha Itachi?!”

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Christ, what a chapter! Let’s see here…
> 
> -Well, now we know why Kaiya doesn’t like the Elders.  
> -Danzo seems…less than impressed with Kaiya’s results at the Temple. However, that just means that he knows more than he lets on - and that Kaiya was right to hold some info back.  
> -Oh hi Suna Siblings! They kind of got buried among all the other craziness going on, but it seems like Kaiya made some friends. Plus, adorable Gorou moment, a little KaiKashi angst/fluff, and Kaiya decided to change her name to Uzumaki!  
> -Finally confirmed: Root exists…and Kaiya might just take Jiraiya up on his offer, just to get out of Root’s reach.  
> -And my favorite part: the box of stuff! So satisfying to write, and WAIT A SEC ITACHI KNEW HER BEFORE?
> 
> You know where to find me :) Leave a comment, share your suspicions/predictions/hopes, and as always…
> 
> Stay Tuned!


	22. Did I Know Him?

 

_It was a glorious autumn day. The trees of Konoha were painted in yellow and scarlet; the air was cool but not cold yet, still warm in the sun. Along the cliff that overlooked the mighty Naka River, grass and shrubs took on similar warm hues, making the entire world seem washed in gold._

 

_It was, to Kaiya, the perfect sort of day - not least of all because she spent it with Itachi. They’d trained a little together, but spent most of their afternoon wandering the surrounding forest. Now they relaxed near the cliff’s edge, watching the leaves drift into the river. Laying her head on Itachi’s shoulder, Kaiya decided that she wanted every day to include moments like this - just the two of them and the beauty of the world._

 

“ _Ne…do you ever think about the future?” she asked in a soft voice, studying their entwined fingers. “About what you want to do with your life?”_

 

_Itachi looked off into the distance for a moment. “Sometimes.”_

 

_Kaiya sighed. She’d gotten used to his habit of thinking before answering only to give a single-word response, but she wasn’t about to let him get away with it. “Hopes? Dreams?”_

 

“ _What are yours?”_

 

“ _Uh-uh-uh!” Kaiya wagged a finger at him. “I know what you’re doing, you know.”_

 

“ _What’s that?” he asked innocently, but there was a hint of a teasing smile on his lips._

 

“ _You-” She poked him. “-are deflecting. Answering a question with a question.”_

 

“ _Am I?”_

 

“ _You just did it again!”_

 

_She went to poke him again, but he caught her hand. His eyes twinkled with mirth as she mock-battled him to get the appendage back. Kaiya lost her balance and fell back onto the grass laughing; Itachi let go of her hand only to entwine their fingers as he leaned over her._

 

_Kaiya’s laughter melted with her bones as their eyes met. Her tongue darted out to lick her lips; he was close enough that his long bangs tickled her cheek. Drawn like a magnet, she leaned up to close the distance - but he pulled back._

 

“ _You haven’t answered yet,” he whispered._

 

_Kaiya raised a brow. “You mean my own question? Pot, meet kettle.” She fell back with a giggle. “So is this an interrogation trick they teach you in Anbu?”_

 

_The mirth left his face, replaced in an instant by a blank but serious mask. “You aren’t supposed to know about that.”_

 

“ _Aaaand that confirms it. Come on, it’s not_ that _big a secret. There’ve been rumors for, like, a few years now.” Kaiya tightened her grasp on his hand, tugging on it to keep him from moving away. “Hey - it’s not like I’d tell anyone. You know I wouldn’t. It just wasn’t that hard to figure out. Please…don’t be mad.”_

 

“ _I’m not mad,” he said, not meeting her eyes._

 

_Kaiya frowned, a flurry of uncertainty invading her stomach. “Itachi…you can talk to me, you know?”_

 

_For a moment, that careful facade he used with the rest of the world cracked, letting her see the worry lines around his eyes, the uncertainty in his gaze._

 

“ _I can’t,” he said. “Not about that.”_

 

“ _I don’t mean, like, mission details,” Kaiya back-pedaled, afraid he’d misunderstood. “I know you can’t talk about that stuff. I mean…if there’s something bothering you. I’m here for you, you know?”_

 

_Itachi stared down into her eyes with something like sadness in his own. Although his face was just inches from hers, he seemed a million miles away. He pushed himself up into a sitting position and gazed out over the cliff. “My dream…I want a world without war, and everyone I love to be safe and happy.”_

 

_Kaiya smiled, a rush of tingling warmth spreading from her head to her toes at this little admission, this small intimacy. Sliding back up, she nudged him with her shoulder. “Was that so hard?”_

 

_Itachi turned to her, his lips quirked into a smile. “No.”_

 

“ _Good.”_

 

_This time, he didn’t pull away when she went to kiss him._

 

* * *

 

Kakashi leaned against his door after returning home from the hospital. He’d gone to check on Naruto again, but the blond was still unconscious. It worried him - Naruto was normally such a fast healer, so being out of it for this long was strange. What had Sasuke done to him? Why did Sasuke do any this?

 

“ _You have no idea what it’s like,_ ” the boy had told him that afternoon a week ago - hours before he left Konoha for good. “ _To lose everyone who ever mattered, and to be powerless to do anything about it!”_

 

Kakashi had just smiled ruefully and told the teen that he was actually pretty wrong about that. Should he have told Sasuke the full story? Would it have made a difference? After all, it was his story, not Sasuke’s; there was no guarantee that the kid would have taken the lessons of Kakashi’s life to heart. He wished there was a jutsu that would let him just transfer everything he’d learned to him, something that could have saved his student the pain of having to learn through his own mistakes.

 

One of those lessons was to not dwell on ‘what-ifs.’ When given a chance, such thoughts became a never-ending, all-consuming abyss. Kakashi pushed away from his door, reminding himself of that bit of wisdom. There was no way to go back in time and stop Sasuke from going to Orochimaru; all he could do now was move forward.

 

Taking down his mask, Kakashi sighed and splashed some cold water on his face. He’d promised Kaiya that they’d find the wayward Uchiha, that they’d get him back. Why did he make that promise? The chances of _finding_ Sasuke now that he was with Orochimaru, let alone taking him back home…it wasn’t like Konoha had the resources to spare, and Orochimaru was notoriously slippery. He feared that he’d made an empty vow to someone who deserved much more than that.

 

She’d been so devastated when she got back. He couldn’t forget the lost look on her face, or the way she’d leaned into him for support…how she’d felt in his arms…the way she smelled of autumn leaves and wild ginger, sweet and spicy and inviting…

 

Kakashi splashed another handful of cold water to his suddenly warm face. That was decidedly _not_ appropriate. Sure, she was a beautiful young woman…and smart…and funny and passionate…but he’d known her as a baby! There should be no attraction whatsoever for someone he’d seen being bottle-fed. There _was_ no attraction. Who said he was attracted to anyone?

 

A frantic knock at the door pulled Kakashi from his ruminations, for which he was grateful. He quickly dried his face and pulled the mask back up before answering - only to see the very redhead he’d been thinking about now standing on his doorstep. She was disheveled, breathing fast, drenched from the rainstorm outside, clearly distraught.

 

“Kaiya? What-”

 

She shoved something into his view - a photo? He took it as she stuttered out half-questions…and he realized he knew exactly who the people in it were.

 

“Did I know him before the Kyuubi attack? Did I know Uchiha Itachi?!”

 

For a second, Kakashi stood speechless. If it weren’t for the photographic evidence literally in front of his nose, he wouldn’t have had an immediate answer. The picture, though, jogged memories he’d forgotten he had - memories he’d buried for being too painful to dwell on. He’d spent months tailing a pregnant Kushina and the tiny red-haired child he still couldn’t reconcile with the young woman in front of him. Back then, Kaiya rarely left her mother’s side. The Uchiha household was a frequent destination, and Uchiha Mikoto was a regular visitor to their own.

 

Of course Kaiya and Itachi had known each other.

 

This was _not_ a conversation to be had in a hallway. Kakashi ushered Kaiya inside before answering. “You did - his mother and yours were friends.”

 

Kaiya paced his studio, shoes still on, dripping rainwater on the floor. “So - what? We…played together or something?”

 

“I guess…” Why did she look ready to have a panic attack? Sure, he’d be pretty disturbed if it turned out a childhood playmate was now a psychopathic murderer, but that was years ago.

 

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

 

“I’d forgotten about it,” Kakashi admitted, handing her the photo as she passed him. “If I hadn’t, I’d have told you.”

 

Kaiya slowed, looking like she was going to be sick. “So he knew…the whole time, he never said…”

 

Kakashi frowned. The whole time - when? “What do you mean?”

 

Kaiya’s fair-skinned face was white as a sheet; her breathing labored, her sapphire eyes staring straight ahead. Now that she’d stopped moving, Kakashi realized she was shivering - whether from being soaked in a November rainstorm or from whatever was going on inside her head, he didn’t know or care. He quickly grabbed a clean towel and wrapped it around her shoulders, sat her down on his bed, and pulled his comforter around her for good measure.

 

“Kaiya,” he said softly, feeling awkward and clueless as he crouched in front of her. “What’s going on? So you happened to know Itachi before the Kyuubi attack, that was years ago-”

 

“It’s not that,” Kaiya interrupted, shaking her head and huddling into the comforter. “I knew him… _after_.”

 

After? What did she - oh… “You mean…after the Kyuubi attack…”

 

She nodded quickly, and Kakashi finally started to understand. Itachi, as a child, must have lied to her by omission. Still, there _could_ be an explanation to that. “Sandaime and the Council told anyone who might recognize you _not_ to approach you. At least, that’s what Sandaime told me when I saw you alive. He said it was for your-” He cut himself off, realizing how ridiculous that probably sounded to her. The last time he’d tried to pass off the lies as ‘for her own good,’ she’d made it clear that she found that to be utter bullshit.

 

Not that he could blame her.

 

“So,” he backtracked, trying to offer a logical explanation to her, “maybe Itachi knew that he wasn’t supposed to interact with you.”

 

To his surprise, Kaiya began to laugh, humorless and wry. “Well, then he sucked at following orders.”

 

“He approached you?”

 

“Oh, no,” she said, waving a hand dismissively. “I just walked right up to him at school and introduced myself, and he acted like we never met before. Gods, how many times…”

 

So it hadn’t been a one-time thing, Kakashi realized with mounting dread. It hadn’t just been a case of them running into each other and Itachi pretending not to know her. No, this was a repeated occurrence. “How long did this…?”

 

Kaiya folded in on herself, pulling the blanket tighter around her body. To Kakashi’s dismay, she looked close to tears. “I didn’t know…I mean, I know he was lying about a lot of things, that’s pretty obvious, but this…” Suddenly, she straightened, dropping the blanket and towel and standing up, looking anywhere but at him. “Sorry, I…this isn’t…”

 

Something clicked in his mind then. Kakashi caught her as she tried to go past him. “The day Itachi returned…you went after him alone, didn’t you? Guy told me.”

 

Still not looking at him, she slowly nodded.

 

“Why?” She didn’t answer, but by now Kakashi had a theory - one that made his stomach churn in sympathy. “You…weren’t just friends with him the whole time.”

 

A small shake of her head was the only response he got, but it was enough.

 

“You were in love with him.”

 

Her eyes filled with tears; she squeezed them shut, pushing the first drops down her cheeks as she gave the tiniest of nods.

 

He was almost afraid to ask. “Did he…”

 

Kaiya took a deep, steadying breath. “Did he lead me on? Yeah. He did. He made me believe that he…” Her voice cracked. “It was stupid. I was stupid. Just a stupid, _stupid_ little girl…”

 

She headed for his door as though trying to escape. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have dragged you into this.”

 

“Kaiya, wait.” Kakashi caught her by the arm again. “I realize I’m not exactly the pinnacle of trust, but I’m trying to understand-”

 

“That’s not it,” she said, her voice so small and un-Kaiya-like that his heart nearly broke. “I just…I need to go, please let me go…”

 

He dropped his hand from her arm. Then he watched as Kaiya, hugging her arms around her middle as though she’d fall apart otherwise, left his apartment. When the door clicked closed, Kakashi stared at it, torn. Should he go after her, make sure she wasn’t alone right now? Or respect her wishes, even if it didn’t feel quite right? She was in no immediate danger within the village, he assured himself. She was an adult, capable of taking care of herself.

 

For about half a minute, he almost bought that excuse. Then, with a curse, he hurried from his apartment to go after her.

 

* * *

 

Kaiya ran without a destination in mind. Focusing on her footfalls in the near-freezing rain helped a little to distract her, but no place she went felt right. She only knew where she couldn’t be in that moment: not in her apartment, alone with that album; not in Kakashi’s, fighting to hold herself together. Nowhere with people, yet isolation wouldn’t work either. She gave up trying to decide on where to go and simply ran.

 

Why did she go to Kakashi?! Stupid question - she just _had_ to know if that photo meant what she thought it did. But now he _knew_. Her biggest mistake, her greatest shame, and she’d almost fallen apart in front of him over it! There was a reason that her teammates were the only ones besides the Council who knew about her and Itachi; Sandaime had wanted to spare her any public judgment over that relationship. It wasn’t that she thought Kakashi would tell anyone else, but…kamis, what must he think of her now?

 

Kaiya stopped running in favor of pacing with her head in her hands. She couldn’t block it out any longer: She knew Itachi before the Kyuubi attack. Before her memory loss. Before everything, she’d known him - _he’d_ known _her._ How many times had she confided in him that she’d give anything for a glimpse at her mother and father? For some glimmer of recognizance, or for someone from her old life to walk up and say ‘I know who you are?’

 

And the whole time - the whole time! - he’d been right there, listening to her, sharing stories of Sasuke when she told ones about Naruto…making her skin tingle from his light touches…awakening a heat and electricity in her that if he’d asked, she’d have gladly explored more with him…

 

Now, she just felt sick.

 

A gentle touch to her shoulder made Kaiya spin around in alarm. She froze with a kunai already looped in her fingers when she realized it was just Kakashi.

 

“Oh,” she breathed, letting the kunai drop back into her leg holster.

 

“Sorry for following you,” Kakashi said. “I wanted to make sure you were okay.”

 

Was she okay? No. She wasn’t even going to try and bluff through that one. “Why?”

 

“Well…you seemed upset, to say the least…”

 

Kaiya shook her head. “No - I mean…why are you…here?”

 

“I wanted to make sure you were okay,” he repeated slowly.

 

“Why?”

 

Kakashi seemed puzzled. “Because you worried me.”

 

Kaiya blinked hard, her nose scrunching up. This was…not what she expected. Shouldn’t he be disgusted with her? Accuse her of having some part in what Itachi did? Call her stupid, naive, gullible, any combination of the things she’d called herself over the years?

 

But he wasn’t doing any of that. Against all expectation, this man was here because despite what he now knew, he was _worried_ about _her_.

 

She almost wanted to laugh, or maybe cry - especially when she finally looked around and realized where they were. The forest loomed behind them, stopping at the edge of a short field that led to a cliff’s edge. The rain had petered out to a bare drizzle, allowing the roar of the swollen Naka River to rise from the valley below.

 

Of course she’d end up here.

 

“We used to meet here,” she said, gazing out at the cliff’s edge. Kakashi already knew the worst of it; might as well explain why he had to follow her in the freezing rain to this place. “It was…I guess our secret spot. I mean, a couple people knew about it - his cousin, Shisui, definitely did, and Sasuke found it at one point, but it mostly felt like ours, you know?”

 

Kakashi didn’t answer. No questions, no judgment - just his solid, quiet presence.

 

“It wasn’t just romantic between us, you know,” she continued, needing to justify this. “We were friends for long before that. We trained together a bit, but mostly, we just talked. Sometimes about jutsu or philosophy, sometimes about Naruto and Sasuke - especially after they started the Academy…sometimes about nothing. I knew his birthday, his favorite food and tea, his hopes for the future…”

 

Her lips pressed together in a thin line. What a stupid little girl she’d been…She wrapped her frozen arms tighter around her torso and kicked at the mud. “I _thought_ I knew him. Kamis, no wonder it felt like we’d known each other forever - we actually did! Or he did. I didn’t know a damn thing, did I? But I’d have done anything for him, anything he asked - that’s how deep in it I was.”

 

Yet he never asked anything of her. Not really. Not outright. _She’d_ been the one to befriend him in the Academy. _She’d_ been the one to badger him about training together. _She’d_ been the one to kiss him first.

 

“Was it just me?” she wondered aloud. “If I never went up to him that day at the Academy, would he have just…left me alone? Kamis, did he even know I was alive until then? Did he care?”

 

It was almost easier to imagine that he didn’t, that he’d have ignored her completely if it were up to him. Then, at least, she could rest easy knowing that he’d always been a cold, unfeeling bastard.

 

“You weren’t the only one deceived by him,” Kakashi said softly. “I don’t think anyone in this village knew the true Uchiha Itachi until that night.”

 

That night…with the countless dead bodies, the blood spattered on windows and walls, the eerie quiet of a place devoid of life. She’d seen his work up close, seen the brutal efficiency of it, all before knowing that it was _her_ Itachi that had done it. And yet…

 

“Kakashi…” She spoke almost in a trance, voicing the question as it rose to her consciousness. “Have you ever cried after killing people?”

 

Why was she asking him this? It wasn’t like Kakashi and Itachi were anything alike, after all, and it was an incredibly invasive thing to ask. But right then, it felt like the most important question in the world.

 

“Once,” he finally answered after a long moment of silence. “I’ve killed many people…never enjoyed it, and I didn’t abhor it either; it was just part of the mission. I’ve felt sad over some, remorseful, even…but I never really knew or cared about them. Except one.”

 

Kaiya didn’t even have to ask what that one time was; she already knew. _Cause of death: Chidori to the heart._

 

“Nohara Rin,” she whispered. “I, um, found the report in my father’s file…she sacrificed herself?”

 

“I didn’t want to do it.” No pleading, no attempt to sound like an excuse - just a simple statement of fact. Then his tone changed, becoming more bitter, more disgusted. “Even if just a year prior, I probably would have done so without question.”

 

“Sounds like you were a different person back then,” Kaiya commented, secretly glad to shift the topic away from herself and relieved that he just went along with it.

 

“I was. Back then, I wouldn’t have looked for other options; if there was a threat to the village, it was my duty to eliminate it, no matter the cost.“

 

“What changed?”

 

Kakashi looked up to the sky, where the clouds had just begun to part and reveal the moon and stars. “Uchiha Obito. ‘Those who break the rules are scum, but those who turn their back on their comrades are worse than scum.’ That’s a direct quote from him. He helped me remember how to be human, and he made me promise that I’d never forget what was truly important, beyond missions and orders. It’s a promise I’ve struggled with, but I try to keep it.”

 

To go by his own admission, Kakashi had gone from cold, unfeeling executor to the much more complex and compassionate person he was now…all by the time he’d reached Naruto’s age. Or, if she thought of it another way, by the time he’d been Itachi’s age when Itachi killed his clan.

 

Picking at her jacket sleeve, Kaiya asked, “Do you think that…the opposite could happen? That someone could start out as kind and caring but become…”

 

Kakashi turned a probing look on her. “Maybe if you said what’s really on your mind, I could be of more help.”

 

Her fingers froze with a thread caught between them. Her pulse pounded in her ears, so loud she was sure he could hear it too. “It’s nothing,” she said, cursing at how obvious the lie was.

 

“You know, every time I’ve said those two words, it’s never been entirely true,” he said wistfully. “It’s up to you whether you want to be open with me or not. I can’t and won’t force anything from you. I’m just trying to understand.”

 

Kaiya swallowed, her tongue thick and dry in her mouth. Her fingers had gone numb, though whether from the cold or her own rising anxiety, she couldn’t tell. Suddenly she was all too aware of her own breathing, almost to distraction.

 

“If I may share a theory,” Kakashi ventured, sounding strangely far away to her ears. “I know you were the one who found Sasuke the night of the massacre. All told, you were actually the first on the scene - which means you went to the Uchiha compound for a reason that had nothing to do with the massacre. I’m guessing now it had to do with Itachi.”

 

“Yeah,” she croaked. Did he guess? Should she just tell him? Why was it so difficult to work her tongue?

 

“But you found Sasuke instead.”

 

Kaiya’s eyes locked onto the churning waters of the Naka River, forcing herself to breathe. Why did she open her mouth and ask him these things? Kakashi was no idiot, of course he’d figure out that there was more to her story than she’d ever told anyone.

 

A dull ache started behind her eyes, making it hard to think about anything, but she tried to focus. Kakashi already knew about her relationship with Itachi, and so far, he hadn’t been the least bit judgmental. He wasn’t like the Elders; he was just trying to get a fuller picture.

 

But she’d never told anyone, not even Hikaru and Gorou. No one knew that she…

 

_Say nothing._

 

Kaiya realized a second too late that she hadn’t answered Kakashi’s question - and few reactions made better tells than hesitation. What _was_ his question? Oh - something about finding Sasuke…“I, um - yeah…”

 

Why not just say it? She should say it. Just get it out there-

 

_**Say nothing.** _

 

The throbbing intensified, making her eyes pinch shut. She saw it so clearly in her head: she was on the streets of the Uchiha compound, heart pounding in her ears, desperate to find any sign of life amidst the blood-spattered walls and torn paper windows…

 

“Kaiya?”

 

…and as the moon came out from behind the clouds, she saw-

 

“Kaiya!”

 

She gasped and opened her eyes to see Kakashi immediately in front of her, gripping her shoulders. “What-?”

 

“You weren’t responsive,” he told her, brows knitted in concern. “It looked like a panic attack.”

 

Panic attack? That didn’t seem right. Her mind was fuzzy for a second as she tried to remember what could have brought one on. “Oh…we were talking…about the massacre…”

 

“Yes,” Kakashi said, his warm hands giving her an anchor to reality that she sorely needed just now. “Are you all right?”

 

 _No,_ she wanted to say. She wanted to tell him; she’d never been so desperate to say something before, and why was her head pounding?

 

“I’m…fine,” her mouth said. No, no she wasn’t! Panic welled in her chest, yet her body was oddly relaxed. She should be shaking, hyperventilating - but it was like her body wasn’t her own! What was going on?!

 

“You’re not fine,” Kakashi insisted. “What happened just now?”

 

Kaiya slowly shook her head, trying to retrace their conversation - anything to move her attention away from this terrifying dichotomy, or to explain what it was or why it was happening. They were talking about the massacre, about what she was doing there…she was going to tell Kakashi something she hadn’t told anyone-

 

_**Tell no one.** _

 

“No,” she moaned, hissing through her teeth as the pain in her head went from throbbing to stabbing. “Why…”

 

Why _hadn’t_ she told anyone before? It was like it had never even occurred to her to do so. When asked about that night, the natural answer had always been ‘no,’ even though she knew it was a lie…

 

No, she thought, squeezing her eyes shut against the sharp resistance in her head. This was not natural, this was not normal!

 

“Kakashi,” she whimpered, “I think…something’s wrong…”

 

 _Focus_ , she ordered herself. _Focus on what to say!_ It was right there, she just had to open her mouth and - she nearly doubled over as a wave of vertigo hit her. Through the pain, she felt a pair of hands prop her up and take hold of her head.

 

“Look at me,” Kakashi commanded from somewhere in the ether. “Kaiya. I need you to open your eyes.”

 

Kaiya grabbed hold of his arms to anchor herself, clinging to his voice as she tried to obey. But her eyelids were leaden - how was she supposed to -

 

“Kaiya. Look at me.”

 

The simple command triggered something in her, some instinct that had been drilled into her from the Academy. Receive an order. Obey the order.

 

She opened her eyes.

 

Immediately, her gaze was drawn to a scarlet orb glowing in the darkness, the triple tomoe spinning hypnotically around its center…she gladly gave herself over to it, relieved to let something else take the reigns if it meant she didn’t have to keep fighting her own mind and body. Little by little, the pain retreated to the background of her consciousness…

 

“ _Say nothing,_ ” a voice urged, deep and intense and desperate. _“Tell no one…”_

 

A flash of scarlet - then -

 

“Kai!”

 

Kaiya blinked and gasped. Everything was…quiet. There was no pounding in her head, no nausea; the world was again clear and cold and real, and the only sounds were those of the forest and river. She looked up to see Kakashi pulling his hitai-ate over his left eye. “What…?”

 

“Genjutsu,” he stated. “A powerful coercive type, the sort used on sleeper agents. So subtle that you wouldn’t find it unless you knew what to look for.”

 

What did he mean? He’d put a genjutsu on her? Or…“Wait…I was…”

 

“Under a genjutsu,” Kakashi repeated. “I just dismantled it, so you might feel a bit foggy for a moment.”

 

‘Foggy’ was an understatement. It was like wading through sludge as she waited for her mind to catch up. Genjutsu…sleeper agent…

 

Then realization sliced through the fog. Her heart stopped. Her mind, her body…something - some _one_ had been controlling her?!

 

“If we can figure out when and who, we should be able to answer why,” Kakashi said. “The fact that it was triggered by talking about the massacre narrows it down significantly. Perhaps someone didn’t want you remembering exactly what happened.”

 

His calm voice kept her panic at bay. Yes. Treat it like a puzzle, a problem with a solution. There was an answer to this, they just had to work through it. Kaiya closed her eyes, breathed through her nose, tried to impart order on the chaotic cluster of memory and sensation in her head. Did someone mess with her memories? The idea made her blood boil, but…

 

“I remember what happened perfectly,” she concluded. “Nothing’s missing, nothing’s new…I just didn’t - I _couldn’t_ say…”

 

Kakashi’s brow pinched. “So someone was afraid of you talking. What haven’t you been able to say?”

 

This was it. Her breath hitched; would that horrible pain come back again? No - Kakashi said it was a genjutsu, and he’d taken care of that. Now…she just had to say it.

 

Inhale.

 

“I saw…Itachi. Just before I found Sasuke.”

 

Exhale.

 

Wait - that was it? It was so easy, so smooth that Kaiya almost didn’t realize she said anything at all.

 

“I lied,” she continued, testing the words on her tongue. “Whenever asked...I lied to everyone about it. The Elders, Sandaime, my teammates...you. I lied, and I don’t know why, but it seemed so crucial that I didn’t tell anyone about it...”

 

“It was the jutsu making you think that,” Kakashi assured her. “It wasn’t your fault - but we need to figure out who, and why. Are you missing any time from that night? Even a moment would’ve been enough to do it.”

 

Her brow furrowed as she searched her memory. Missing time? So much had happened that night, much of it she tried not to think about. But…there was one moment she remembered that, upon further inspection, was utterly confusing. She saw Itachi, then scarlet, and then -

 

Kaiya brought a hand to her mouth, suddenly feeling sick. “Oh god…he did this…”

 

Understanding dawned in Kakashi’s visible eye. “You mean…”

 

“Itachi,” she supplied, her stomach churning. Part of her wasn’t surprised in the slightest; Itachi was a genjutsu master. Even among the Uchiha, when they’d been alive, he was considered exceptional. Of course he’d been the one to put this on her.

 

Knowing that didn’t stop her skin from crawling. She’d trusted him, would’ve done anything he asked, and instead, he coerced her into silence. He’d used his Sharingan to invade her mind and implant a command that she had no choice but to obey.

 

“Oh god,” Kaiya breathed again, a horrifying realization coming to her. “What if…was that the first time? Or did he…kamis, what else did he do…?”

 

“Breathe,” Kakashi commanded, his hands once again on her shoulders. “Slowly. Don’t start hyperventilating. That’s it…now, if this was something that happened before, you’d have experienced other instances of ‘lost time.’ Was that ever an issue?”

 

Kaiya clung to his voice, to the rationality he offered, and tried to think. “No. I don’t think so.”

 

“Then that was probably the only time,” he assured her. “Trust me - repeated instances of coercive genjutsu leaves a mark in your chakra system. I’d have seen it. Actually, that Hyuga therapist you were seeing would’ve seen it, too.”

 

That’s right - Hyuga Takashi examined her chakra system several times back when she was injured. “But why didn’t he see this genjutsu?”

 

“It really only shows up when it’s active. As long as you weren’t trying to talk about the massacre, it wasn’t active. Of course, this brings us to a related question: _Why_ did Itachi not want you saying that you saw him?”

 

“You think I have any idea how Uchiha Itachi thinks?” Kaiya snapped, rage overtaking her hysteria. “That fucking _bastard_ played with my head!”

 

She was going to explode, she was sure of it. The very idea that he'd been in her head like that - that he made her think it was her choice…Wasn’t it enough that he’d denied her _identity_ to her face over and over again? That he’d denied her own memories? No, he just _had_ to have this too, didn’t he? He just had to take her teacher and then - and _then!_ \- he took away a piece of her _goddamn free will!_

 

She clawed at her scalp, but the pain wasn’t release enough. Pacing wasn’t enough either, and there was nowhere she could run that would let her escape this storm within. So she screamed, a feral, shrill sound that ripped through her lungs and throat, carrying as much of the churning tempest out of her body as possible. Then she screamed again, and again until her voice gave out. Only then did she feel a little calmer, a little emptier.

 

Kaiya fell to her knees as she caught her breath, her hands dropping from her head. She wanted to think, to process and organize everything in neat little boxes…but her mind ground to a halt. She was stuck, too tired to do more than stare at a water droplet clinging to a blade of grass. Dragging her hands over her face, she was puzzled to find that her fingers came away wet. Odd…the rain had long since stopped. What was…? Oh. She was crying.

 

With a faint squish of footfalls in the mud, Kakashi crouched beside her. He laid a hesitant hand on her shoulder, a welcome bit of contact. “Better?”

 

Was she? Kaiya gave him a slow shrug and stared at her damp fingers. Something about her tears tickled her subconscious, like they were important somehow.

 

“We need to figure out why he did this to you,” Kakashi reminded her gently. “Why don’t you walk me through what happened that night?”

 

She almost didn’t want to. Telling the full story would mean having to live through it again - the terror, the helplessness…but then again, the real horror hadn’t begun until after that night. Closing her eyes, Kaiya took a deep breath and, for the first time, told the complete truth of what happened that night five years ago.

 

* * *

 

_It started with a puzzle. Yuuma gave it to her just the day before - a new coded seal to unravel, something to practice her growing skills on. This one was significantly more challenging than any he’d given her before though, and Kaiya was ready to pull out her own hair trying to solve the damn thing. Where did he even get this, anyway?! She’d never seen such obtuse, blocky patterns before. She was tempted to say it was a hexagram, but those needed six rows of patterns, and this only had five. Normally she cracked Yuuma’s codes in a few hours, tops, but she’d been at it for five consecutive hours - more, if she counted the previous evening before Itachi had showed up at her window._

 

_Her mind turned to the dark-haired enigma as soon as he surfaced in her thoughts. Last night…he’d been so strange. It wasn’t anything she could put a finger on, but he’d just seemed so…tired. Defeated, even. And how he said he just ‘couldn’t go back to the compound’…it had broken her heart to hear him sound so emptied. He’d been gone when she awoke, and the rest of her day had been filled with the usual schedule: solo training, team training (though without Yuuma, who oddly never showed up), research…and now this code again._

 

_Maybe she could get two birds with one stone. Or three, depending on how she counted them. She obviously needed a break (as Yuuma always said, ‘Stare at a problem too long…’), she wanted to check up on Itachi, and - though she was loathe to admit it - she could use some help with this thing. With a resigned sigh, Kaiya rolled up the scroll containing the problematic seal and threw her jacket on over her pajamas._

 

_There was no sign of Itachi at their usual spot, though that had been a long shot. Chewing her lip, Kaiya considered her options: she could just wait until tomorrow, catch him in the main hub of the village. Assuming he didn’t have a mission, he’d probably walk his little brother to or from school. Or…_

 

_It wasn’t ideal. Itachi had long ago asked her not to go to his clan’s compound, though she’d sneaked in a couple of times in the past. Not since Shisui’s death, though. It was like a deathly pall had fallen over the region since then; she was pretty sure no non-Uchiha went to that compound these days if they could help it. The police, all of them Uchiha, acted on a hair-trigger lately, and if the icy reception she and Yuuma had received at Shisui’s funeral was any indication, the Uchiha did not appreciate outsiders right now._

 

_But it was the only place she could think of where Itachi would be at this hour, if he wasn’t away from the village._

 

_It took her less than a minute to decide._

 

_Approaching the compound, Kaiya immediately felt that something was…off. The hair on the back of her neck stood on end; goosebumps lined her arms under her jacket. Suddenly she regretted leaving her apartment without her weapons packs - but she tried to mentally laugh it off. She was just being paranoid. She was nervous about going into the Uchiha Compound, that was it._

 

_But as she crept along the shingled rooftops, her unease only grew. It was so dark…darker than the rest of the village at night. No lanterns, no streetlights…_

 

_No lit windows._

 

_Her heart fluttered in her chest. It was difficult to see to the street below; the moon was shrouded overhead. When a gap in the clouds let a small bit of light through, though, Kaiya’s heart almost stopped altogether._

 

_The house just across from her - one of its paper windows was torn open…and an arm hung limply through the gash._

 

_Her pulse pounded faster. She crept down from the roof, a silent, hooded shadow - or at least, she tried to be. Sliding along the outer walls, she rounded a corner and nearly cried out._

 

_A head lay at her feet, eyes rolled up toward her, mouth hanging open as if in a scream. The eyes…they were scarlet, almost glowing in the dark even in death, with an identical pair of black tomoe in each iris…_

 

_Kaiya clamped a hand over her mouth to muffle her gasp and took an involuntary step back. She couldn’t think, could barely breathe. She wrenched her eyes up from the head - and immediately almost wished she hadn’t._

 

_Three bodies lay in the street before her, strewn out as though they’d been cut down while running. Two had been struck from behind; they each sported a neat, bloody gash right at the back of the neck. Cut off the connection between brain and spine: their deaths would have been quick, instantaneous. The third wasn’t so lucky. He’d been stabbed in the stomach, then eviscerated. It would have been an agonizing death…had he not then been decapitated._

 

_Each of them wore the Uchiha crest on their backs._

 

_What was going on here? She was staring at three bodies - three Uchiha bodies, in the Uchiha Compound! No…not just these three. There was the arm through the window, too…and why was it so dark? How had no one noticed this already?!_

 

_Kaiya breathed through her hand and tried not to panic. Just keep breathing - just keep calm - just think! Someone had killed these people - attacked them. Forcing herself to crouch near one of the bodies, she extended a shaking hand over the corpse._

 

_Warm._

 

_Whoever had done this…they could still be nearby._

 

_Okay, she thought, backing herself against a nearby wall. Think - think! She was a Shinobi, a soldier, so she had to think! She was a Chunin, alone, with an enemy on the loose. Priority one: get out and get help._

 

_But what about Itachi? What about his brother, his parents? How many people were…_

 

 _She got the answer to the last question with every cautious step she took as she made her way further into the compound. More bodies, more blood that smeared the windows and streets…and it was too quiet. Someone would’ve made a noise, and this was the Uchiha district, for crying out loud! They_ were _the police force; they’d have fought back!_

 

 _They were the police force…so taking them out first would be part of an invasion strategy. Oh kamis, they_ were _under attack - she had to find Itachi, had to get help, had to get to Naruto before it was too late!_

 

 _Kaiya started running, still keeping to the shadows but more desperate to find_ anyone _alive than to keep herself hidden. She didn’t dare call out, didn’t check inside houses - she had to stay quiet, stay out in the open. But there were bodies everywhere, and still-wet blood that threatened to make her slip, and blinding fear that no matter where she looked, she would only find death._

 

_And then she saw it - a solitary figure standing in the street. Kaiya froze. Someone was alive! Or was it the enemy? What should she do?!_

 

_Indecision and panic rooted her to the spot. A sliver of moonlight highlighted the silhouette in a way that she recognized that build, that posture. Was it…? Oh kamis, please, let it be him…_

 

_The person turned around just as the clouds shifted overhead, allowing the moon to fully illuminate the street. Kaiya was too shocked, too frightened and hopeful to move; whoever it was would see her, but she had to know -_

 

 _It_ was _him! Relief flooded her system when she saw his face. Itachi was here, he was all right! Kaiya wasted no time flickering to him, her hands seeking to confirm that he really was here, that he was unharmed._

 

“ _Thank god,” she breathed, gripping his shoulders, pressing her palms to his chest, feeling the warmth of his very much alive body for herself. “I was so scared that you-” She couldn’t even bring herself to say it. Not after passing so many other bodies on the way here. “But you’re okay? What’s going on? What about your family?”_

 

_Itachi didn’t answer, just stared down at her with wide eyes set in a drawn face. Something on his cheeks caught a bit of moonlight. Was he…?_

 

“ _Oh god,” Kaiya gasped. “Itachi - your family - is Sasuke-”_

 

_Then she noticed other things: The haphazard way he’d wrapped his hitai-ate around his head. The sword strapped to his back. The Anbu vest…and the blood spattered across it._

 

“ _We have to - to warn them,” she stuttered, her mind racing to find an explanation. “The enemy…did you see them? You fought them, didn’t you? Are they still…?”_

 

_Her eyes rose back up to his face - but instead of the warm, long-lashed obsidian orbs she’d come to love, she met the striking scarlet of the Sharingan. They pierced into her skull, freezing her in place even as they pulled her in. She couldn’t move. She couldn’t look away. She was caught, a rabbit in the sight of a hawk._

 

_Only her lips moved, and through them, her voice came out, tiny and faint. “Itachi…?”_

 

_The tomoe began to spin, until the only world she knew was in those eyes, along with all she was and all she ever would be…and then she heard it, his velvety voice echoing in her head…_

 

_**Say nothing. Tell no one.** _

 

_The next thing Kaiya knew, she was on the ground. Electric, nauseating pain shot through her left wrist; she must have landed on it when she…fell? Groaning and cradling the appendage, Kaiya rolled to her side and found herself next to a small, vulnerable, familiar figure._

 

“ _Sasuke!” Kaiya scrambled over to the child, the pain all but forgotten as she frantically checked for a pulse. “Please, please please please…”_

 

_There it was - faint, but he had a pulse! He was alive!_

 

_Kaiya looked up to find Itachi. “We need to get him to-”_

 

_But he was gone. She saw no trace of him, no sign of where he went._

 

_She was alone._

 

_Kaiya gritted her teeth against the throbbing pain in her wrist. She was alone, but in what might as well be enemy territory. She still didn’t know what was happening, if any more enemies would come - and Sasuke needed help. She had to get him to safety before anything else. Then she could alert someone - Anbu, the Hokage himself, anyone - about what was happening._

 

_And Itachi…he’d find her. He probably sensed some danger, or went to track down the perpetrators. That had to be it. She’d take Sasuke to the hospital, and Itachi would find them as soon as he could._

 

“ _It’s okay,” Kaiya murmured to Sasuke’s unconscious form as she scooped him up as best she could. “You’ll be okay…everything’s going to be okay.”_

 

* * *

 

“I waited for him after that,” Kaiya finished, staring out over her knees into the cold, quiet night. “Even after the Elders questioned me and told me he was the one who…I waited. I didn’t believe he did it. It had to be a lie, or a trick, or he was being set up. But he didn’t come back, and then they told us - my team and me - that Yuuma-sensei…” She trailed off, not wanting to scrape open this wound any further than she already had. “I just…stopped questioning it. I couldn’t anymore.”

 

“I can understand that,” Kakashi said softly from his place next to her. “After Rin…I gave up on a lot of things. The friends I still had, any thought of my own future…myself, I suppose. Joining Anbu may not have been the best option for my mental health at the time, but it gave me purpose, a reason to still be alive, an outlet for all the emotions I tried to deny. Not that I’d recommend it as a solution,” he added with a side glance to her.

 

“Wasn’t planning on it.” Kaiya rested her forehead on her knees, folding into herself as though shutting out the world would help bring order. “Nothing makes sense. How Itachi was…Yuuma-sensei…none of it.”

 

“I remember hearing about Yoshida Yuuma,” Kakashi said softly next to her. “I remember because it was so…out-of-place. We all chalked it up to ‘wrong place, wrong time,’ but…”

 

“But then why didn’t he just kill me, too?” She lifted her head long enough to wipe her eyes. “I asked him myself, that day at the inn. I still don’t get it. If he killed Yuuma-sensei just for being there, why didn’t he do the same to me? And why leave only Sasuke alive? It doesn’t make sense!”

 

She could have continued ranting about every inconsistency she’d observed in Itachi’s behavior and every new question this night alone gave her. She could have gone on for hours…but exhaustion washed over her like a wave, the undertow pulling away her ability to string together any coherent argument.

 

A tired, mirthless smile poked at her lips. “You ever try to light a fire on damp wood? ‘Cuz that’s how I’m feeling right about now. But I can’t let this go. Not again. Not until I actually have something.”

 

“Get some rest,” Kakashi advised. “This…it’s a lot to take in. And to speak from some experience…there’s a high chance that even if you examine every possible angle and account for every potential variable, you still won’t completely understand what happened, or why. Sometimes…that’s just how it is.”

 

Kaiya’s mouth set into a stubborn line. “Not sure I accept that.”

 

“Then you and Naruto truly are related,” he mused, the warmth of a smile in his voice.

 

She shared the smile for a few seconds before something else occurred to her. “Kamis, what am I going to tell Naruto about all of this? I mean…there are photos of Uchiha Itachi and me as babies! What do you say about that?”

 

“Get some sleep,” Kakashi repeated. “You don’t have to solve everything right this minute.”

 

Kaiya nodded and rested her head on her knees, turning so that she was looking at him. “What are your thoughts on all of this madness?”

 

Kakashi stared off into the night, giving her a perfect view of his moonlit profile. “I’m not sure yet. I’ll have to get back to you.”

 

Maybe it was the exhaustion talking, making her mind go to all sorts of weird places - but did he always look like a figure carved from marble? Even with the mask hugging his face, the moon’s silver beams caught the contours of his nose and cheeks just right, making him seem like a breathing piece of art…but with fluffy hair…

 

Kaiya blinked and shot upright, rubbing her eyes. “Wow. Okay. I think you’re right about the whole sleep thing.”

 

“Hm. Cold out here, too.”

 

“Yeah…” Her cheeks warmed with a bit of shame for being the reason he was out in the cold at all - but she couldn’t feel too bad about it. Instead, she just felt…grateful. “Kakashi…thank you. For being here, for listening, for not judging me…for your honesty. And for the genjutsu thing, too,” she added almost as an afterthought. “I didn’t realize how much I needed to talk about all of this until I couldn’t, you know?”

 

“It’s a lot to take in,” Kakashi said again, rising and slipping his hands into his pockets. “I know how lonely it can be to carry these burdens. I couldn’t help Sasuke with his…but if you’ll let me, I’d like to help with yours.”

 

His pure sincerity made her stomach flutter, warming her against the night’s chill. She believed him - that he understood something of what she was going through, that he genuinely cared…and maybe, not just because she happened to be his mentor’s kid.

 

They walked back to the village together in a comfortable silence. Overhead, the clouds slowly dispersed, opening windows to the starry sky beyond. Kaiya breathed deep of the night air, crisp and cleansed thanks to the earlier rainstorm. She felt similarly clear, at least for the moment. Tomorrow would doubtless bring more questions, more puzzles and problems - but as Kakashi said, she didn’t have to face them right this minute. There was a sort of freedom in that, in being able to let go by her own volition, even if only for a short while.

 

Before she knew it, they were on her landing. “You walked me home,” she joked, turning a teasing smile on her silver-haired companion. She felt oddly giddy all of a sudden. “Gonna tuck me in, too?”

 

Kakashi rolled his eyes. “Yeah, you’re definitely tired.”

 

“What? But I want a bedtime story!”

 

That earned her a playful shove into her apartment when she got her door open. Kakashi remained out on the landing. “Good night, Kaiya.”

 

This time, her smile was sincere. “Good night, Kakashi. And thank you again.”

 

Closing her door with a soft click, Kaiya leaned against the wood for a moment, listening for him to leave. Of course she didn’t hear anything - no decent ninja would make a sound on a solid floor, and Kakashi was far above ‘decent.’

 

She sighed. This _had_ to be exhaustion making her this…ridiculously school-girlish. Maybe it was even some sort of defense mechanism against the gravity of everything she’d learned tonight. Hikaru would definitely have a diagnosis for it.

 

“Sleep,” she muttered to herself. “For Sage’s sake, go to sleep.”

 

She peeled off her damp clothes and showered first, the steamy water helping to chase away the night’s chill. Afterward, gathering her clothes for the laundry hamper, something fell out of her jacket.

 

It was the photograph - a tad wrinkled and somewhat damp to the touch, but otherwise just as clear as when she first saw it.

 

Kaiya picked it up. All of the shock and dread and…whatever else had coursed through her before was nowhere to be felt. She was empty, too tired to react to the pair of soft black eyes and round cheeks scrunched into a small smile. He looked down at his baby brother with such affection - and was it her imagination, or was he leaning against her as much as she was him? Either way, this was hardly the face of a future mass murderer.

 

“Who are you, really?” she asked the photo, her thumb running across the crease that now marred Itachi’s face.

 

She didn’t have the answer, and she didn’t have to find it right now. The question would remain in the morning. Kaiya carefully replaced the photograph in the album, then dug through a drawer under her bed for a lap-sized box. She hadn’t opened it in years, but lock seals didn’t rust; it opened easily to her touch. Inside were two items: a lightweight yukata of indigo with gold flowers, complete with a complimentary obi folded over top; and the last seal puzzle Yuuma had given her, the one she could never bring herself to finish solving. Gently laying the photo album inside, Kaiya re-locked the box and set it back into the drawer. It wouldn’t stay untouched for years like the other items; it just didn’t feel right to have it out in the open.

 

Kaiya took the peach-toned scarf from her parents’ box and held it up to her face again. Closing her eyes, she imagined what it might have smelled like thirteen years ago, how it would have felt to have her mother or father wrap it around her, their smiles warming her as much as the soft wool.

 

She couldn’t imagine it - but she held the scarf close anyway as she climbed into bed and drifted off to sleep.

 

* * *

 

The rainstorm moved north along the continent, eventually freezing into sleet that pattered the roof of a small, desolate hut. It was dark inside; the owners had died long ago, their belongings claimed either by relatives or other passersby. Even before the rain came, the place smelled of damp rot. But the roof was sound and the inside was dry enough, which was really all one could ask for from a shelter.

 

Tonight, the hut had occupants, though they lit no fire and disturbed as little as possible. When they disembarked in the coming morning, they’d have to leave no trace of their presence behind; easier to avoid making such traces in the first place. One of the squatters didn’t stay inside for long; his boundless energy demanded to be spent, so he soon joined the storm. The other was glad for the solitude, short though it would live. His companion was respectful enough of boundaries, but it was rare that he got to be truly alone anymore.

 

So when Itachi jolted awake sometime in the middle of the night, and he realized that Kisame was still outside, he had to wonder why. It was a strange sensation, like a pounding in his skull that was insistent but not painful. More like an alert. Something in the world had changed, and he was feeling it in his cells.

 

He closed his eyes to better analyze the odd sensation. Where did it originate from? What had triggered it? It wasn’t a dream - he’d been sleeping too lightly to dream. He could hear Kisame outside, engaged in whatever solitary training exercise he’d begun while Itachi rested. Sometimes Itachi envied his partner’s vivacity; it reminded him of someone else, too, someone he had to actively keep from his thoughts lest the memory of their last encounter drive him to distraction.

 

_Kaiya…_

 

His eyes snapped open. That was it. He knew what had changed.

 

“Up already?” greeted the Shark Nin as he returned from his training.

 

“I rested enough,” Itachi replied, sitting up.

 

“Well, seems you’re just in time,” said Kisame. “We got a call coming in from the Leader. Sounds like our old friend Orochimaru made another move on your former village - particularly your little brother.”

 

Itachi’s eyes narrowed, but he kept his tone of voice at ‘mild interest.’ “Is that so?”

 

“Seems it.” Kisame tossed him a toothy grin. “Guess our old snake pal’s got a thing for those eyes, hm?”

 

“I fail to see how this affects what we’re doing.”

 

Kisame whistled. “Cold as ever…not even a bit of curiosity for baby bro’s fate, I guess?”

 

“As you said, Orochimaru has expressed his interest in the Uchiha clan’s power before. He couldn’t have me, so he set his sights on the only living Uchiha left. It’s not that difficult to follow.”

 

“Well,” Kisame sighed, “guess that means you don’t care that our favorite puppet master and his new partner are heading to Konoha to pick up Orochimaru’s trail. Dealing with Snake-san is one of their assignments, after all.”

 

“That is inadvisable,” Itachi said, rising and donning his cloak. “While Sasori-san is skilled in subterfuge, everything we know about Deidara indicates that he is not. Now that Konoha once again has a Hokage, their security will be significantly increased, and neither of Sasori-san nor Deidara is aware of the village’s protocols.”

 

“But you are,” Kisame grinned, his beady eyes glittering in excitement. “You’re already planning a way in, aren’t you?”

 

“Sasori and Deidara will fail. That is a known quantity. When they do, we will be able to provide whatever intel they could not obtain.” Itachi paused in buttoning his cloak. “It may take some time - and it will be smoother for only one of us to go. ”

 

Kisame’s grin only widened. “Oh? Looking for a little alone time with the ex, perhaps?”

 

He didn’t bother to dignify that with an answer - and in that way, he didn’t have to lie.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oooo - looks like we might finally get another face-to-face in the present between Itachi and Kaiya! You know, sometime in the near(ish) future. Eventually. IT WILL HAPPEN I PROMISE.
> 
> In the meantime...jeez, from Kaiya's perspective, Itachi's actions seem truly fucked up. I'm sure you all can guess why he'd use a genjutsu like that on her...but to her, he took away a piece of her free will. 
> 
> However - Kakashi to the rescue! Supportive Kakashi is best Kakashi (well, next to Badass Kakashi and pretty much every other Kakashi). And it seems both parties have a little extra interest in each other...how long til one of them acts on it though? Place your bets now!
> 
> Just a heads up - I have most of Chapter 23 written, but that's after that posting will slow down significantly. Up til now, I've had chapters written well ahead of time...but now I've run out of those :P Between full-time work and just life, it usually takes me about a month to get new chapters ready. I'll try to keep a regular posting schedule. Rest assured, more is on its way, so remember to drop a comment and as always...
> 
> Stay Tuned!


	23. Purposeful Proposals

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick recap from Chapter 22:
> 
> Kaiya was beyond shaken to find a photograph in her parents’ album of her with a young Itachi. She went to Kakashi to confirm what she already sort of knew - she and Itachi had been friends BEFORE the Kyuubi attack, ergo Itachi had lied to her the whole time they were together. While trying to explain her connection with Itachi, another disturbing revelation came out: The night of the massacre, Kaiya had seen and even spoken to Itachi - but he had put a binding genjutsu on her so that she wouldn’t tell anyone about it. At this point, Kaiya’s not sure what this means, though between the overall betrayal and this particular violation of her free will, she’s not inclined to think well of Itachi’s reasoning.
> 
> We good? Okay. On with the show…

 

 

Sleep came and went, despite Kaiya’s exhaustion. She would settle in, start to drift off, and then suddenly be too aware of everything around and within her. The wind rattled against her window and she bolted up in bed, kunai in hand, half-expecting to see a familiar form through the curtain. She’d close her eyes, and just as her body and mind finally relaxed, she’d see Itachi’s tear-streaked face or hear his desperate command to  _Say nothing, Tell no one._ He invaded her dreams over and over again, sometimes as the child in the photos, sometimes as the young teen with blood on his clothes…sometimes as the man he was now, whispering in her ear, putting a weapon in her hand…walking her to a kneeling figure…directing her to raise the sword and slice the neck of her own teacher…

 

The last one had her scrambling out of bed, heart racing. Kaiya reached out, touching everything she could: her nightstand, her lamp, her table, her carpet…this was her room, her apartment, there was no one else here, it was just a nightmare.

 

“It wasn’t real,” she repeated like a mantra, shuffling to sit against her bed on the floor. “Just a dream…it didn’t happen that way…it wasn’t real…”

 

Clutching her pillow and the peach scarf tightly to her chest, she kept saying it until the visceral realism of the nightmare began to fade. She’d know if that had actually happened…right? Kakashi said there was only one coercive genjutsu at play; she’d only lost a minute of time, and she’d only moved a few feet, and there was no blood on her hands. It was just a nightmare, a fucked up product of her over-active imagination. She didn’t kill Yuuma, Itachi did, and he didn’t make her do it. He did it himself.

 

Kaiya squeezed her eyes shut, burying her face in her pillow as the tears inevitably came. When would this stop? When would she be beyond Itachi’s reach?

 

Kamis…if this was anything like what Sasuke had been going through…she could absolutely understand why he was so obsessed with killing his brother.

 

But Itachi’s death wouldn’t answer her questions. The  _whys_ of what he did kept building up the more she learned, with no end in sight. If anything, those questions would plague her even more once the one person who could definitively answer them was gone. But even if by some miracle she found him again and got him to talk, who was to say anything out of his mouth wouldn’t be a lie?

 

“I hate you.” Kaiya buried her face in the pillow, muffling her voice. “I hate you, _I hate you_!” 

 

She wanted to be numb again. She wanted to be normal, whatever that was, and kamis, she wanted to  _sleep._ No dreams, no nightmares, no fear or jumping at small noises. For perhaps the first time in her life, she wished she  _could_ just forget. 

 

Yet every time she closed her eyes, she saw him, tears sparkling in the moonlight, and she was caught between disgust - mostly at herself for expecting anything else - and a nagging, tugging sense of wrongness. Why was he crying that night? Why did he leave her alive  _and_ silence her? She wracked her memory of the encounter, trying to impart order on the one piece that wasn’t razor-sharp in clarity: when she’d seen his Sharingan. The minute she met the scarlet orbs, things got muddled - but she could swear she felt his hands cupping her face, his warm breath brushing her nose and lips as he whispered that command:  _Say nothing, tell no one._

 

With a groan, she balled her fists into her pillow. Could she even trust that this was a real memory, not an implant or a bit of wishful thinking? Kaiya almost hoped it was fake - because if it wasn’t, if it was true…then Itachi had taken her face in his hands like he’d done many times before. His touch had been gentle and intimate, his hushed voice and stuttering breath signs of…fear? Desperation?

 

It all added up to the wrongness of the whole event, a wrongness she’d been so certain of years ago. It meant that there  _was_ more to Itachi’s actions that night. 

 

Kaiya sighed and rubbed eyes that ached with fatigue. Where would she even begin? She and Sasuke were the only living witnesses to the massacre - a fact that reminded her painfully of the only non-Uchiha victim. No. She couldn’t let her own emotions into this, at least as much as she could help it. Emotions caused clutter, and she needed clarity. But how?

 

Kakashi would know, she thought almost mournfully. She’d already dragged the man deeper into her sordid past than she had anyone else…would he actually want to delve further? He did say he wanted to help. Thinking about his calm, quiet, steady presence, how he’d taken everything in stride and without judgment, how he’d even been able to sympathize a bit…Kaiya found herself growing calmer. Her body unfurled itself from the tight coil she’d drawn it into; at long last, her mind began to still. She closed her eyes, remembering Kakashi’s warm hands on her arms, his clean, pine-musk scent enveloping her like a shield…and at long last, she fell into a quiet, mercifully empty sleep.

 

* * *

 

Across the village in his own bed, Kakashi lay awake for a long time, staring at the ceiling and trying to make sense of everything. The monumental weight of Kaiya’s account settled heavily on his shoulders, dredging up memories from his Anbu days. Back then, he hadn’t questioned the things Anbu did, not really. He’d only briefly doubted the decision to allow the eleven-year-old into their ranks; after all, he hadn’t been much older when he joined, and Uchiha Itachi was said to be an unprecedented genius. He’d accepted the boy’s eerie efficiency as part of the prodigy package, though he did remember being concerned for how much interest the Council showed in him. That sort of interest meant Itachi was involved in their politics, something Kakashi actively avoided to this day.

 

After the massacre, Kakashi had once again accepted what he was told: Itachi held a deep resentment of his clan and finally snapped. Not in an emotional, over-the-top way, but in the way that sociopaths do, concealing their intent until they were ready to make a calculated strike. Kakashi remembered having some questions, but he’d let them go in favor of his own work.

 

But Kaiya’s account of that night…Itachi  _crying…_ that genjutsu…it all brought old doubts back to the surface, made him want to reconsider everything that had been happening at the time with a new perspective. 

 

With sleep an increasingly unlikely scenario, Kakashi dragged himself out of bed and dressed. For once, he needed to talk to someone about what was going through his head, someone who’d also been around at the time, who’d witnessed the enigma that was Uchiha Itachi. Leaving a somewhat convincing dummy of himself in his bed, fashioned from a broom and some pillows, Kakashi sneaked out of his own apartment. Perhaps he was being paranoid, but with Danzo active in the village again, he couldn’t shake the sense of being observed.

 

He was certain that he wasn’t followed as he made his way across the village to where an old Anbu colleague of his lived. He wasn’t as certain about whether he and Kaiya had been tailed earlier that evening, but he was reasonably assured that even if they had been, that tail would have had to stay far enough away that they couldn’t hear anything being discussed. Kakashi couldn’t explain why, but he felt the need to be extra covert about this whole situation. It was an old instinct, perhaps the same one that eventually led to his friendship with the person he was about to see.

 

Kakashi reached his destination and started working at a locked window when something curled around his wrists and ankles. He held perfectly still, unbothered by his sudden state of capture or by the cold flat of the kunai that found its way to his throat. He did, however, roll his eyes. “You greet all your house guests like this?”

 

“Only when they try to sneak in,” answered a low voice behind him, a hint of humor warming its tone. “You should know better, senpai.”

 

“Yes, yes, you’ve got me,” Kakashi sighed. “Mind letting me in, Tenzou?”

 

The tendrils of wood that held his wrists and ankles receded and the kunai withdrew from his throat. Silent as a cat and with a grace that seemed counter to his large-ish frame, his captor moved toward a solid wall of his high-set cabin. Kakashi shook his head. Tenzou had a thing for curious and opulent architecture, and this ‘treehouse’ - as he could only describe it - was no different. It was designed after an old style of circular huts, but with an elegantly sloped roof that normally shouldn’t be possible with wood as the only building material. The last time Kakashi had been here, it had been more square and angular, like a traditional house that got lifted off the ground by virtue of a fast-growing tree sprouting up in its center. Surrounding the trunk of a giant old fir, it was well-concealed by the needle-laden branches in all seasons, with several windows but no doors.

 

No doors were needed, though. If Tenzou wanted guests, he could easily allow them inside as he did now, stretching out his hand and silently commanding the seam between two panels to widen into a human-sized entrance.

 

“You changed the design again,” Kakashi commented, stepping inside behind Tenzou. “Looks nice this way.”

 

“Ah - thank you, senpai,” Tenzou replied, a small, embarrassed smile crossing his face. “It’s been a while. Can I get you some tea?”

 

“Sure, and you don’t have to call me ‘senpai’ anymore, you know.”

 

The reminder, he was sure, fell on deaf ears. Tenzou may be a high-ranking Anbu captain nowadays, equal to Kakashi’s old rank, but he’d probably always be this referential toward him.

 

“So what brings you by at this hour?” Tenzou asked, placing a steaming mug in Kakashi’s hand.

 

“Old memories,” Kakashi answered vaguely, leaning against a table and glancing around the house. “Still not one for decoration, hm?”

 

The interior was indeed less interesting than the exterior, with sparse furniture and absolutely zero clutter. There weren’t even any chairs, though that was only true for a few seconds more as Tenzou spontaneously created two from the wooden floor. Kakashi gratefully sat in one.

 

“Any memories in particular?” Tenzou inquired, ignoring Kakashi’s attempt to stall.

 

Kakashi sighed deeply and set his mug down. “The massacre.”

 

There was no shortage of massacres involved in Anbu life, but Tenzou didn’t need him to elaborate to know which one he was talking about. That was one of the reasons Kakashi appreciated the slightly younger man; they’d known each other long enough that some things didn’t need to be explicitly stated.

 

A grim frown pulled at Tenzou’s mouth. “Is it because of Uchiha Sasuke? I was sorry to hear about that, by the way.”

 

“In part, and thanks for saying so.” He didn’t want to bring up Kaiya’s part in this - not yet, not unless it was absolutely necessary. He trusted Tenzou more than most, but he also respected Kaiya’s confidence in him. “I suppose it’s just got me thinking about a few things.”

 

“Such as?”

 

Kakashi weighed his words carefully before continuing. “Do you ever wonder about it? Not the massacre itself, I suppose, but other things?”

 

Tenzou’s brow furrowed. “I’m not sure I follow.”

 

“Why we were watching the Uchiha clan,” Kakashi supplied. “Why there was never an Uchiha in Anbu before Itachi. The timing of it all.”

 

Tenzou sat back in his chair, folding his arms and staring at the steam rising from his own mug. “What’s really on your mind?”

 

The same trait Kakashi appreciated about his colleague could also be unsettling at times. How much could he say without bringing up what Kaiya had told him? “Why do you think Itachi did it? Not ‘what were we told,’ but his true reasons?”

 

“True reasons?” Tenzou looked puzzled by his choice of words. “You think we weren’t told the full story?”

 

“I’m not sure,” Kakashi admitted honestly.

 

Tenzou sipped his tea. “Excuse me for saying so, but it seems rather obvious why he did it. You saw the bodies we found…the missing eyes.”

 

He had. Not all, but many of the Uchiha victims had their eyes gouged out postmortem. There were rumors going back to the Warring States Era that the Uchiha could augment their powers somehow by taking each others’ eyes, but it was largely written off as superstition, something meant to make the clan seem more menacing in an age where reputation secured one’s livelihood.

 

His own eyes narrowed in thought. The only people who knew about the missing eyes were Anbu and the High Council. But when Kaiya described what she’d seen that night, hadn’t she mentioned something about a corpse with Sharingan? “Tenzou - do you remember if we found  _any_ corpses with Sharingan eyes attached?” 

 

Tenzou made a face that suggested he’d prefer not to think that hard about it. “No…I don’t think there were any.”

 

It was a weak link at best, he tried to tell himself. Kaiya seeing a body with Sharingan still attached…it could have been an exception. An oddly coincidental exception. But if it wasn’t a coincidence, it could mean that the eyes had been taken  _after_ the massacre took place, not during. For Itachi to do that, he’d have had to work incredibly fast, risking capture just to collect his kin’s eyes. 

 

“Now that doesn’t make sense,” he mused aloud before catching himself.

 

“What is it?”

 

Crap. Kaiya must be rubbing off on him. Thinking fast, Kakashi found another reason for his own comment that didn’t involve Kaiya. “If Itachi’s aim was to slaughter his entire clan in one night, it wouldn’t have been practical to stop and take every Sharingan he found. That would have slowed him down. He’d risk discovery.”

 

Tenzou’s brows rose, his eyes widening slightly at the suggestion. “But…he could have just worked very quickly. He was incredibly fast, even back then…”

 

Arguing would mean telling Kaiya’s account, and Kakashi wasn’t ready to share that yet. His own conjecture was becoming more and more convincing to him as he kept thinking about it, though. Bodies with eyes gouged out would have been noteworthy. Kaiya recalled seeing dozens of dead bodies, some decapitated…but never did she mention any with their eyes missing.

 

As for risking discovery…Itachi  _had_ been discovered. By Kaiya. Yet he let her walk away. Granted, he’d put a binding genjutsu on her, but still; the only other non-Uchiha victim of the massacre had been killed on the spot. Why not her? Was it possible that Uchiha Itachi was capable of sentiment? Could that be why he spared his brother and the girl he’d grown up with, had a relationship with? Even if he’d been lying to her the whole time? 

 

No wonder this drove Kaiya crazy.

 

Kakashi wasn’t one to think that Missing-Nin were incapable of feelings; Zabuzu and Haku were prime, recent examples of this. Yet much of who Uchiha Itachi was - what they knew about him - was predicated on the idea that he was a true sociopath, incapable of empathy, driven by purely selfish goals and in constant need for new stimulation. Sentiment didn’t figure into that equation.

 

Another curiosity came to his mind. When Itachi came back to Konoha a few months back, he hadn’t killed anyone. He could have. He  _should_ have, in order to cover his and his partner’s tracks. He killed one of the most powerful clans in Konoha in a single night on his own; what were four Jonin compared to a district that contained over a dozen? 

 

“…pai? Senpai?”

 

“Hm?” Kakashi realized he never answered Tenzou’s question. “Sorry, lost in my thoughts.”

 

“Uh-huh,” said Tenzou dryly. “If you don’t actually want to talk about this…”

 

“I don’t think I do right now,” Kakashi announced lightly. “Thank you for the tea, though.”

 

He headed for a random wall, knowing that Tenzou would create an opening for him - but the opening didn’t form. He glanced back at his old colleague with a raised brow. Tenzou was well-practiced in concealing his emotions; the most he showed now was intense thoughtfulness. But that combined with the lack of door creation made it seem like he was debating whether to say something or not.

 

Or…perhaps it wasn’t a matter of whether he  _wanted_ to say something. “Everything okay?”

 

Tenzou swallowed, making his throat bob. “Not sure - but it’s nothing you need to worry about, Senpai.”

 

Kakashi kept watching the other man as just behind him, the wall gave way and let in the night air. He knew there were things Tenzou wouldn’t - couldn’t - say, particularly about his past, but it had never been relevant to the present. The Mokuton user had on several occasions insisted that he didn’t mind not being able to say certain things, that it was sometimes a relief. Having an idea of the sort of work Root did back in the day, Kakashi couldn’t blame him.

 

Still…he wondered what Tenzou would’ve said now if his tongue wasn’t bound.

 

His cup was still full of warm liquid when he left. He didn’t regret going to Tenzou - quite the opposite - but he did feel he’d shared enough for the time being. Until he had something more solid, no one else had to be involved in this little inquiry. He trusted Tenzou to respect that without having to spell it out and knew that his old colleague would never speak of this conversation to anyone.

 

Because now Kakashi was certain about one thing: Kaiya was right. There was something ‘off’ about Uchiha Itachi.

 

* * *

 

The hospital was in its usual state of mid-morning bustle when Kaiya arrived. As soon as Sakura had told her the news, she’d dressed haphazardly and rushed over while still tying her sleep-mussed hair back. Yet once she was at the front desk, she hesitated.

 

This was the moment she’d been waiting for ever since returning from the Uzumaki Temple. Naruto was awake, healed, and probably in need of all the support and comfort she could give. But suddenly, she was afraid to go in. Would he blame her for not being there? She wasn’t about to tell him about the temple; it had to do with Danzo and Root, and she wanted to keep Naruto as far away from all that as possible. And what was she supposed to tell him about that photo album? He’d want to see it once he knew it existed; he had every right to it. But trying to explain why Uchiha Itachi was in those photos…Should she just take the offending photos out? Would he even realize who the Uchiha boy was? Maybe she was overestimating how much it would matter to him.

 

Maybe she didn’t have to say anything at all.

 

No, she was thinking about this all wrong, focusing too much on her own problems. None of this would matter to Naruto right now; he needed  _her_ , not her past. She squared her shoulders and headed for his room. 

 

Naruto was sitting up in bed when she arrived, staring out the window with what she could only describe as a look of pure defeat. The sight broke her heart, chasing away all other intruding thoughts. She wanted to rush over, embrace him and tell him over and over again that it wasn’t his fault until he believed her. Experience, however, told her that it wouldn’t matter how many times he heard her say it; he’d still blame himself. Perhaps it was a family trait.

 

“Hey,” she called softly, sitting at the edge of the bed and taking his hand. “How are you feeling?”

 

Naruto started and for a second, it looked like he would put on a show of cheer. Then he saw her and his shoulders sagged. “Nee-chan…”

 

Kaiya didn’t take it as an insult. If anything, she was glad he didn’t feel the need to pretend around her. For a few minutes, neither of them said anything, the weight of all that had happened settling around them in a dense, invisible fog.

 

Naruto swallowed, his voice cracking when he finally spoke. “I failed…I tried, Nee-chan…I promised Sakura that I won’t give up…but…so many people got hurt…Choji and Neji almost died…and I couldn’t…”

 

Kaiya shattered at how broken he sounded. Guilt gnawed at her insides as the thought of  _I should have been there_ once again passed through her head. She wished she could fix all of this somehow, even turn back the clock so that none of it happened in the first place. 

 

Not that she’d have any idea of where to begin.

 

“I wasn’t strong enough,” Naruto said, clenching his fingers into the sheets. “I couldn’t stop him…I…”

 

“Look at me.” When he tried to turn further away, Kaiya took Naruto’s chin and made him face her. “This. Isn’t. Your. Fault. We will get him back, no matter what, you hear?”

 

Her own eyes prickled in sympathy as his welled up. Naruto sniffed hard and quickly rubbed his eyes. “Sorry…I shouldn’t be crying, you know…it’s not gonna do anything…”

 

“Hey, if you need to cry, then cry,” Kaiya told him, rubbing his back. “This is me - you don’t have to put on a brave face with me, right? And who says crying doesn’t do anything? I cry. Sometimes it actually helps, like it clears out my head.”

 

Naruto hiccuped and smiled. “Guess it’s good I don’t have much in mine then, huh? Less to clear out.”

 

Kaiya snorted even as she gave his shoulder a playful shrug. “Don’t say that. It’s not true.”

 

“Oh, I dunno about that,” boomed a jovial voice from the window. The siblings turned to see Jiraiya just outside, sitting atop a massive toad and tossing them a grin. “Hey.”

 

Naruto lit up right away, sending a tiny twinge of annoyance through Kaiya. “Pervy Sage! What’re you doing here?”

 

“Checking up on my godkids, of course!” Jiraiya jumped to the window and let himself inside. Kaiya watched him warily but held her tongue, reminding herself that whatever his faults and past mistakes, he _was_ trying now. He’d even taken the time to find their parents’ affects for them. He was changing. 

 

Then Jiraiya’s grin melted away. “I heard a bit of what you two were talking about just now. Listen…for your own good, you should forget about Sasuke. Both of you.”

 

Clearly, she’d give him too much credit.

 

“Excuse me?” Kaiya exclaimed, standing and crossing her arms. “What do you even know about it?”

 

“I know his type,” Jiraiya stated, looking her squarely in the eyes. “I’ve seen it before. He’s made up his mind to pursue power over anything else, no matter where it leads him. That’s why he’s with Orochimaru now - not because of a Curse Mark, but because of his own choice.”

 

“If he didn’t get that mark in the first place-”

 

“Then maybe he’d have stuck around for another year or two, at most. It doesn’t matter; his priorities were set the day he lost everything. Even if you did manage to track down Orochimaru, which trust me, is a nearly impossible task on a _good_ day, and even if you found wherever he’s keeping the kid, I doubt you’d be able to make Sasuke come back to Konoha of his own free will.” 

 

Kaiya kept her stubborn glare, but for once, couldn’t find a rebuttal. She hated this, hated that she was inclined to agree with him on anything, let alone on Sasuke. But hadn’t she thought some of the same things even before Sasuke left? That maybe the Juin wasn’t as influential as she’d originally assumed?

 

“Then we’ll drag him back,” Naruto growled. “I don’t care what he wants, if it means saving him from being the puppet of that Snake, I’ll do anything! He’s my friend!”

 

“Look at yourself!” Jiraiya barked. “Look at what he did to you! Is that what a friend does?!”

 

Naruto flinched and looked away. He was still covered in bandages; he probably wouldn’t be released from the hospital right away.

 

Kaiya’s jaw clenched, her teeth catching the inside of her lip. He was right about one thing: friends didn’t hurt each other like that. If it was anyone else, she’d have been the first to say it. But it wasn’t just anyone who did this. “Sasuke is  _family._ We’re not cutting him out because of some bad decisions he made out of grief and anger.” 

 

“Exactly,” Naruto agreed, his hands fisting in his lap. He glared up at the Sannin. “So either you’re gonna help us find him and teach me what I need to get him back, or we’ll do it ourselves!”

 

Jiraiya sighed and closed his eyes. “Then let me make you a counter-offer: Either you give up this hopeless search for Sasuke, or I make sure Tsunade confines you to Konoha with a round-the-clock Anbu guard, and I won’t teach you a damn thing.”

 

Kaiya’s eyes went wide as her blood began to boil. She instinctively stepped between the shocked Naruto and his hulking mentor. “You wouldn’t-”

 

“You of all people should understand why he can’t just go gallivanting off around the world,” Jiraiya chided. “You know what kind of people are after him.”

 

“ _You_ were planning to go gallivanting with him,” Kaiya reminded him in a venomous tone. “Or did you change your mind in the last week?” 

 

“Huh?” Naruto perked up. “What’re you talkin’ about?”

 

“I was planning to take you on a long-term training trip,” Jiraiya admitted to Naruto, though he held Kaiya’s glare with a steady, stern gaze. “So that you could learn to protect yourself from the likes of Akatsuki and any of the other dozens of people who’ll come after you because of the Kyuubi. But if you insist on wasting your life like a fool on a lost cause, then I don’t see the point.”

 

Kaiya took a step closer and asked coldly, “And what would our mother and father have done if it was one of us who lost our way?”

 

“Your father was a Hokage,” Jiraiya responded evenly. “He would have prioritized the good of the many, which is what you-” He looked to Naruto. “-will have to do if you ever plan to be like him.”

 

For a moment, Jiraiya’s words seemed to hit a chord in Naruto. He stared down at his fists, shoulders shaking with how tightly his hands were balled. Even Kaiya was forced - again - to admit that the Sannin had a point. As much as she wanted to find Sasuke, Konoha’s priority was getting back on its feet, which could take years. Tracking Sasuke and Orochimaru would take resources that Konoha couldn’t spare now, and by the time they  _did_ have the capability again…she shuddered to think of what could happen to the kid in the meantime. 

 

Her brow creased. They didn’t have the resources…or did they?

 

“Then I’ll just have to be a better Hokage than he was,” Naruto growled behind her. “Even if you won’t help me. I’ll find a way - I’ll get stronger on my own, and I’ll figure out how to save Sasuke and-”

 

“No.”

 

Naruto’s jaw dropped when he realized it was Kaiya who’d interrupted him. “Huh? But Nee-chan, you said-”

 

“You’re wrong,” she continued - but she wasn’t speaking to Naruto. She was talking to Jiraiya. “About Sasuke. Not about how hard it would be to get him back,” she added, holding up a hand to cut him off when he opened his mouth. “But about this not being for the greater good of the village. Tell me, why exactly does Orochimaru want Sasuke? I’m sure you, of all people, would know better than most of us.”

 

Jiraiya gave her a grave look. “He plans to use a soul transference jutsu he’s been developing for years to take over Sasuke’s body. From what I’ve gathered, the ‘host’s’ soul is ejected in the process. They cease to exist.”

 

Finally hearing it in such explicit terms almost threw her off, making her stomach churn in dread and disgust. So that was the purpose of the Juin…it was meant to groom the victim into a willing host while unlocking their full potential. Behind her, Naruto sputtered that this was all the more reason they should act now, and she was inclined to agree - but that argument wouldn’t work here. “Then this  _is_ about the many. Orochimaru devastated this village last time he invaded, and at that time, he wasn’t packing one of the most powerful dojutsu known to man. What would he do if he had the body and power of a young, healthy Uchiha at his disposal? Would he just give up on taking over or destroying Konoha?” 

 

Jiraiya’s eyes narrowed, but he didn’t respond right away. She could see that this  _had_ occurred to him already - he’d be a fool if it hadn’t. His concern in this moment was Naruto, which she could certainly relate to. 

 

“My point still stands,” he stated, confirming what she already knew. “Naruto can’t be a part of that. Not while he has his own target on his back.”

 

“Agreed,” Kaiya replied, ignoring Naruto’s cry of protest behind her. “Nor should he be caged like some beast that can’t be controlled. He needs your help. So here’s what will happen: You will take Naruto on that training trip, teach him to protect himself and get that demon under control. I will stay here and work on finding Sasuke.”

 

With every word, she felt her own determination grow. It had been a long time since she saw her purpose so clearly, since so many elements of her life seemed to fall into place. She wasn’t meant to go with Jiraiya and Naruto on this trip. She had to stay behind, trust her little brother to someone else for a while so that she could focus on solving other problems.

 

Jiraiya still didn’t look ready to back down. “You,” he growled at her. “Outside. Now.”

 

Kaiya followed him out the window with a raised brow and a bit of dread in her stomach. Was he planning on another lecture? Going to try and dissuade her? Her reasoning was sound; there was no way he could refute it, she was certain.

 

Outside, Jiraiya landed on the giant toad’s tongue and beckoned her to follow suit. “Hop in.”

 

Kaiya grimaced. What, did he want her to just…walk into the thing’s mouth?

 

As it turned out, that was exactly his plan. When Kaiya reluctantly hopped onto the slimy, sticky tongue, Jiraiya led her further back toward the throat. The toad closed its mouth around them, shrouding them in hot, humid darkness. A few more steps, and suddenly she was falling, landing less than gracefully on some sort of soft padding.

 

“Ah, sorry,” Jiraiya laughed, rubbing the back of his neck. “Shoulda warned ya about that…”

 

Kaiya glared at him and got back to her feet, trying to get her bearings. She expected squishy, pinkish tissue, but instead, she found what appeared to be a cozy little bar, complete with stools, a counter, even shelves of bottles and glassware. “What the…this isn’t a stomach…”

 

“Well, it kinda is,” Jiraiya said. “This species of toad doesn’t talk, but it can make little pocket-dimensions within its own body. Great for covert meetings and stuff, especially ‘cuz the dimension exists in its own time-loop. Doesn’t matter how long we’re in here; when we emerge, it’ll only be a few minutes later, at most. This is one of my favorite settings, actually,” he declared with a proud grin. “Lure a coupla marks in thinking they’ll just grab a quick drink, get ‘em talking…no one minds the bartender, after all!”

 

Kaiya took in the fake bar with wide eyes and no small touch of envy. She could only  _dream_ about pulling off this sort of Space-Time jutsu…but there was an entire species of animal that could do it naturally? 

 

“Is that actual alcohol, or some sort of illusion?” she asked, unable to hold herself back.

 

“It’s real enough.”

 

“So we could actually drink it?”

 

“Yep.”

 

“Got any _ginjo-shu?_ ” 

 

“Heh, nice try. We’re not here to drink.”

 

“Wait, how does the toad eat? I mean, does the food come to the pocket dimension, or is there an actual working stomach, or…” Kaiya shook her head sharply. “Nevermind. Why _are_ we here?”

 

“Coupla things.” Jiraiya crossed his arms and stared her down sternly. The goofy old man was gone; this was the legendary Sannin talking to her now, and he meant business. “How _exactly_ are you planning to track down someone like Orochimaru? ‘Cause it’s not going to happen on your own.” 

 

“No, it isn’t,” Kaiya agreed, slipping into ‘negotiation’ mode and crossing her own arms. “But I won’t be alone in this. Kakashi feels the same way, and once I present the issue to Tsunade, I’m sure she’d agree that this _should_ be a priority.” 

 

“Even the Hokage can’t conjure manpower out of thin air,” Jiraiya contested. “Or do you have some secret well of resources up your alley?”

 

“I have a few.”

 

If Jiraiya thought he could make her back down with a stern look, he was severely out of his depth. It would take more than a probing glare to make her admit that no, she really didn’t have a ‘well of resources’ - at least, not yet. She did know of one, though - one that she was sure he wouldn’t approve of her tapping into.

 

At last, Jiraiya blinked and sighed. “Fine. I guess I can’t tell you not to - not my place and all - so here.” He reached into his haori and pulled out a thick, well-worn notebook. “This is everything I’ve gathered on Orochimaru since he left Konoha: sightings, patterns, known associates, former hideouts and the like. I may not like you doing this, but like hell will I let you go in blind.”

 

Kaiya’s mouth fell open. She’d prepared for another argument, had a half-dozen rebuttals ready on her tongue, all of which were predicated on the assumption that he’d be against this. The idea that he might actually try to help her hadn’t even crossed her mind; that he was doing so now rendered her speechless.

 

Eying the notebook hungrily, she reached out to take it, only to have Jiraiya pull it just out of her reach. Kaiya glared. She should have known this would come with strings attached. “What’s the catch?”

 

“I want you word,” Jiraiya said, “that you’ll be careful. Orochimaru’s not someone to take lightly. Always have an escape plan, and always have backup available. Don’t try to deal with Orochimaru _or anyone else_ on your own, hear?” 

 

‘Or anyone else’…she was pretty sure who he meant by that. “Got it. No more jumping out of flaming holes to chase down S-class Missing Nin on my own.”

 

“Good, ‘cause you almost gave me a heart attack the first time,” Jiraiya mumbled, holding the notebook out to her.

 

Kaiya watched him as she accepted the notebook, unsure of whether he was exaggerating or being sincere. Had he really been that worried about her that day? Did he expect her to feel bad for that? And wait…was this all he was asking her to do in exchange?

 

“There’s something else.”

 

Of course there was.

 

“While I’m away with Naruto,” Jiraiya continued, “I’ll be on radio silence and keeping our movements secret. If you ever need to reach me, though…”

 

There was a ‘poof,’ and on the surface of the counter appeared a large scroll. Jiraiya beckoned for her to open it. “It’s-”

 

“A summoning scroll,” Kaiya finished, staring in awe as she unfurled it. Small painted toads decorated the margins, along with the familiar spiral patterns of Uzumaki seals; columns of names signed in blood showed every previous summoner. There was Naruto’s name, followed by the small span of his fingerprints; Jiraiya’s, two columns over, the fingerprints large and widely spread; and between them, Namikaze Minato. Kaiya touched her fingertips to the prints under her father’s name, having to stretch out her hand a bit to reach them all. For a brief moment, she had an image in her head of pressing her palm against another person’s, only she was a child and the other hand was much bigger. It only lasted a second, but she swore she could feel the smooth, hard callouses on that palm and the warmth radiating from its skin.

 

The image vanished almost as quickly as it came, but the sensation of that other hand lingered - as did the sudden tightness in her chest. Blinking rapidly, Kaiya withdrew her hand, closing her fingers into a loose fist, trying to hold in a bit of the warmth she’d felt.

 

“Minato should’ve been the one to give this to you and Naruto,” Jiraiya said behind her. “Summons and all are supposed to be passed down mentor to student, or parent to child. I know I’m not either of those things to you, but…well, I figured it might help you with some of your endeavors, and it’ll let us keep in touch if you need to…and, I hope, it means you won’t have to turn to someone like Shimura Danzo for help.”

 

Kaiya’s heart sank, her neck heating with shame at her own behavior. Of course he’d already figured out her plan. Yes, she had meant to tap into Root, leveraging her access to the Uzumaki Temple to convince Danzo to help her find Sasuke. Such a task would require covert legwork, manpower, and time, all of which the village was short on.

 

But Jiraiya had spent years tracking his fellow Sannin, and now she held a summary of his work in her hands. The toads could help with legwork, able to infiltrate places humans would have difficulty with. She wouldn’t have to deal with Konoha’s resident devil, at least not for this.

 

Finding their parents’ affects…trusting her with what must be years’ worth of gathered intel…and now, he was passing along a summons to her. These weren’t the acts of a man who didn’t care - quite the opposite. Why was it so hard for her to accept that he might actually want to help her?

 

“Um-” Kaiya cleared her throat, inwardly cursing at how her voice cracked. “This…this helps. Thanks.”

 

She signed her name in blood, glad for an excuse to not have to speak. For a moment, they stood there in awkward silence, standing at an honest-to-goodness bar inside of a toad’s stomach, each staring at the Summoning contract rather than meeting each other’s eyes. There was a bit of comfort to think that Jiraiya was as at a loss for words or actions as she was.

 

Kaiya was the first to break the silence. “So…I got the box of my parents’ stuff.”

 

“Ah - good, I wasn’t sure you would.”

 

“Yeah, no, I did…” She trailed off, wondering if she should broach the subject of the photo album. “Did you…know what was inside?”

 

“Well…” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I just took a cursory glance, really…I recognized those scarves, and your dad’s coat, and that was enough for me…”

 

So he hadn’t seen the photo album. Just thinking about it again made Kaiya tired to her bones; she wasn’t sure she wanted to get into the whole Itachi thing again. “Well…thanks for finding it. I’ll share it with Naruto - when are you planning to leave?”

 

“’Bout two weeks - give him plenty of time to recover.” He glanced at her from the corner of his eye. “And I wouldn’t want to tear you two apart so soon.”

 

Kaiya nodded in appreciation even as melancholy settled like a heavy cloak around her shoulders. Two weeks…then it would be almost three years before they were together again. “Be good to him, okay? Make sure he eats something besides ramen. And gets enough sleep. He tries to pull crazy hours like me, but it just doesn’t work for him the same way…”

 

A small, sad, affectionate smile stretched across Jiraiya’s mouth and warmed his eyes. “Shall do.”

 

“And just…spend some time with him. Not just training. He’s still a kid, you know? He still needs connection. Take him to a festival now and then, let him play games and all that. He’ll take his training seriously, you won’t have to worry about that, but he needs to have some fun, too.”

 

“Got it.”

 

There was more she wanted to say, to lecture him on the finer points of looking after her baby brother, but Kaiya forced herself to swallow it all. She had to trust Jiraiya to do this right; it was the only way she’d get through the next few years…good god,  _years…_

 

Jiraiya’s large, heavy hand fell on her shoulder. “Are  _you_ gonna be okay?” 

 

She nodded, suddenly afraid to speak lest the lump in her throat burst.

 

Withdrawing his hand, it was Jiraiya’s turn to clear his throat. “So, uh…I was thinking…and I totally understand if you’d rather not, but-”

 

“Are you asking me out on a date?” Kaiya quipped, glad to break out the snark again.

 

“No! Jeez…” He passed his hand over his forehead. “But…well, since it’s gonna be a while, I thought maybe we could…talk sometimes. You know, about your parents and all. And maybe your projects. You were working on Hiraishin before, right?”

 

“Yeah,” she said slowly. “Still am.”

 

“Maybe I can help with it. And sometimes it’s better to have an experienced summoner around when you first call on the toads; they can be a bit tetchy.”

 

Kaiya nodded, unsure of how to respond. It felt strange to have something resembling a teacher to turn to after years without one, even if it would only be for a couple weeks. Heck, even with Yuuma, it took her time to accept his help, so accustomed was she to doing things alone.

 

The silence returned, awkward and unnatural for both of them. “So…we’re still in a toad’s stomach…”

 

“That we are!” Jiraiya said over-brightly, rubbing the back of his head. “Truth is, I’ve got one other thing for you-”

 

Kaiya snorted. “What’s with all the gifts all of a sudden? Is it my birthday or something?”

 

Jiraiya opened his mouth, then closed it, a thoughtful look coming over his face. “Actually…isn’t it?”

 

Blinking, Kaiya tried to remember what the date was. When it came to her, she mouthed a silent ‘oh.’ “Huh…I guess it is…”

 

Jiraiya smirked. “Just like your dad, jeez…well, maybe a drink’s in order then, eh? You said  _ginjo-shu?_ ” 

 

Kaiya eyed him as he puttered behind the bar, setting out cups and pouring from two different bottles - one chilled for her, one warmed for him. “You trying to get me drunk? ‘Cause it won’t matter how much alcohol you put in me, you are  _not_ my type.” 

 

Jiraiya blanched violently at the suggestion. “What? Hell no! I’m not - no!” He calmed a bit when he saw her teasing grin, sinking into a sour glare. “Funny. But gross. I saw you being  _born_ \- I’ll admit I’ve got varied tastes, but I draw the line at girls I saw in diapers!” 

 

Kaiya tried and failed to bite back a laugh, managing only to make it a silent one. “Pretty sure there’s a kink for that, too.”

 

“Oh, there is, and it ain’t mine.” He shoved a glass of chilled sake her way. “And you call _me_ a pervert…” 

 

“’Cause you are one,” she retorted, picking up the glass. “Kampai.”

 

“Kampai, and Happy Birthday.”

 

He clinked his cup to hers and threw back its whole contents. Kaiya opted to sip hers, not even sure she’d like the stuff. Eighteen was the age of majority in the Land of Fire, though it sometimes struck her as absurd to have such a thing apply to ninja. She’d been trained in how to efficiently kill an opponent before she hit puberty; why bother putting a minimum age on things like drinking, smoking, gambling, and marrying? Not that she really cared about those things before; it just seemed weird, sometimes.

 

The  _ginjo-shu_ was pleasantly clean and chill, lightly sweet without being cloying. Kaiya gave a soft hum of approval. 

 

“You know,” Jiraiya said, pouring himself a second cup, “I remember doing this with your father - usually at an actual bar, but this one came in handy when he needed to chat about more private stuff. Heh…only ever saw him get drunk once, though, and that was after he found out Kushina - your mom - was pregnant with you. Freaked him the hell out, though he tried not to show it to her at first.”

 

“Hard to imagine the Yellow Flash being ‘freaked out’ by anything,” Kaiya comment, taking another small sip.

 

“Yeah, that’s something a lot of people don’t know about Minato,” Jiraiya confirmed. “He dealt with a lot of insecurity throughout his life. As a kid he was actually pretty timid. Smart, of course; they didn’t call him a ‘prodigy’ for nothing. Sometimes I wondered which of us was the teacher, ha! But it was Kushina’s influence that made him come out of his shell. Her brazenness inspired him to be more bold, to take more risks. I think a lot of people looked at them as a couple and assumed that Minato tempered Kushina, but Kushina did just as much to make Minato the hero and leader that history remembers.”

 

Kaiya thought of the photos of her parents, how happy they seemed together. “They really loved each other…”

 

“That they did. Could give a person cavities, they were so sweet.” Jiraiya’s jovial expression softened into one of nostalgia and grief. “I’m sorry you and Naruto couldn’t know them, and that you can’t remember them. I really am. If I knew how to fix that for you, I would.”

 

“Um…I appreciate that,” Kaiya murmured, heat rising to her cheeks which she tried to hide by raising her glass. She wasn’t sure what else to say.

 

Jiraiya set down his cup, once again empty. “To be honest…I’m not good at this. Maybe I was once, but nowadays…seems like I need to drink in order to even talk about them.”

 

Kaiya’s eyes lowered in something near understanding. Perhaps the sake was already loosening her up a bit, but she couldn’t help but feel sympathy for Jiraiya. She remembered how distraught Yuuma had been over Shisui’s death, as though he’d lost his own son; from the sound of it, Jiraiya had at least as close a relationship with her father. Losing him, losing Kushina, wondering if he could have prevented it somehow…she knew a little something about that sort of grief.

 

“And I do need to talk to you about them,” Jiraiya continued, pouring himself another. “There’s some stuff you should know - about your mother, your birth, and about what happened the night she and Minato were killed.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love writing Kaiya and Jiraiya together, and not just because their names rhyme. They’re more fun when they’re not at each other’s throats, instead just a mix of snarky and awkward :P
> 
> But yeah. It seems they’re FINALLY finding some common ground between them again, and this time it’s on more solid foundations.
> 
> So how about Kakashi and Tenzou’s conversation? I have to admit, once I had this image of Tenzou just like…living in a literal tree house that he regularly redesigns, I just HAD to write it. I mean, in canon, the guy regularly created mansions for the team to “camp” in, and later redid Konoha’s infrastructure basically all on his own. You KNOW he’s gonna use that ability for his own place.
> 
> NEXT TIME: Jiraiya reveals some interesting things about both Naruto’s and Kaiya’s own births, some of which connect (yet again) to Itachi…Kaiya has a breakthrough on an old project…and one major arc of her life ends while another begins.
> 
> Looking forward to your thoughts, predictions, and reflections! And as always…
> 
> Stay Tuned!


	24. So Long, Farewell

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...I really need to stop saying things like "next chapter is basically done" and "will be up in a couple weeks." I just wind up jinxing myself. 
> 
> I hope everyone is staying safe and healthy amidst the COVID-19 chaos. Please, be safe. Don't panic, get reliable information from reputable sources (ie World Health Organization, CDC in the US), and practice good ol' hand-washing and social distancing. Be kind to each other, and to yourselves. The world hasn't seen something like this in over a century (since the "Spanish" flu of 1918), but we are far better equipped now than people were back then. All the same...look out for each other. 
> 
> Now for a bit of escapism!

* * *

 

“ _There’s some stuff you should know - about your mother, your birth, and about what happened the night she and Minato were killed.”_

 

Kaiya immediately turned her full attention to Jiraiya, nerves tingling, her mind already jumping from idea to idea of what it could be. “Wait - if this is about our parents, shouldn’t Naruto hear it too?”

 

“I’ll tell Naruto all of this when he’s a bit more ready to hear it,” Jiraiya assured her. “But since you’re not coming with us, I figured I should let you know now. Everything I know about the Kyuubi attack comes second-hand, mostly from Sandaime. The first thing you need to know is that the Kyuubi didn’t just appear outta nowhere; it escaped.”

 

Escaped? That implied a prison, but unless the Kyuubi had previously been in some holy relic, that meant… “Are you saying…it was in someone else?”

 

He gave a grave nod. “In your mother, in fact.”

 

For a long moment, Kaiya just stared blankly at him while the information - and everything it implied - sank in. Her mother had held the Kyuubi. Her _mother_. The smiling, bright-eyed young woman in the photo album had held the Kyuubi. Someone before Naruto held that thing, there were people who knew about this, and - her face blanched - it had something to do with her parents’ death.

 

“ _The Kyuubi cannot be taken from Naruto without also taking his life,”_ Sandaime had told her. Was that true for anyone who carried it? Was that how…

 

After what could have been two seconds or two full minutes of silence, Kaiya stuttered out, “What - how - why-”

 

“It’s a long story that goes back to Konoha’s founding, if not before,” Jiraiya began, taking her utter astonishment in stride - though he swallowed another cupful of sake before continuing. “Back to when the idea of ‘chakra monsters’ wasn’t so foreign. Nowadays, people think of demons and all that like they’re the stuff of fairy tales; truth is, it wasn’t so long ago that some powerful ones roamed the earth. We don’t see ‘em anymore because some people - some Shinobi - found ways to contain them, control them. Think of summoned creatures: They come from a sorta…parallel dimension, I guess you could say, touching ours but not fully in sync. There are stories, though, of times when such creatures would cross over on a whim.”

 

Kaiya thought of Ojii-san’s story and of the masks at the Uzumaki Temple, each resembling a nightmarish entity from storybooks. A chill crept under her skin. “The Uzumaki Temple...I saw the masks they had there, and there was this summoning script...they’re the ones who contained them, weren’t they?”

 

“They specialized in it,” Jiraiya confirmed with a nod. “It’s one of the things that made them so feared. But the Bijuu…even the Uzumaki had a hard time figuring them out.”

 

“The Bijuu?” Kaiya asked, testing out the word on her tongue.

 

“’Tailed beasts,’” Jiraiya explained. “That’s what they call chakra monsters like the Kyuubi, since they’ve all got some number of tails. Every country’s got its own stories about them.” He ticked a few off on his fingers. “Go to the Land of Wind, and you’ll get tales of the demon ‘Shukaku’ turning fertile land into barren desert. In part of the Land of Lightning, people claim a devil cat with two tails once haunted the countryside. Depending on where you go and who you ask, you’ll hear tales of people building temples and worshiping Bijuu like gods, offering anything, even their own lives, in order to appease them. Others saw them as a sort of natural disaster, like a tornado or tsunami, unpredictable, destructive, a thing to be ridden out and survived.”

 

His face darkened with a frown. “One thing they all agree on: the Bijuu are powerful - and it’s in human nature I guess to want to possess power. There were ways to contain the Bijuu, and ways to manipulate them, but not both at the same time. At some point, someone came up with the idea to try using human beings - a natural vessel for chakra that can also shape and mold it. Thing is, it’s not that easy to pull off. The Uzumaki clan was the best with Fuinjutsu, and even they couldn’t get it right. Figures that an excommunicated Uzumaki would be the one to crack the code,” he said with a wry smirk.

 

“Uzumaki Mito,” Kaiya filled in, seeing where this was going.

 

“Yep. Pretty much everyone knows the story of the Battle at the Valley of the End, where Shodaime fought with Uchiha Madara. Most people know that Madara used the Kyuubi during that battle, controlling it with his special Sharingan. What they don’t know is what happened to the Kyuubi afterward. The common belief is that the Kyuubi dispersed, either on its own or thanks to some power of Shodaime’s; in reality, it never left Konoha. After the battle, Shodaime’s wife, Uzumaki Mito, sealed the Kyuubi into her own body, becoming the first successful ‘Jinchuriki’ as they’re now known .”

 

Kaiya blinked rapidly. “Why doesn’t anyone know about this? Wait - how do _you_ know about this? And what do you mean ‘they?’”

 

Jiraiya held up a hand to stop her flow of questions. “I know ‘cause Sandaime was my sensei. He trusted all three of us - me, Tsunade, Orochimaru - with this because we were strong enough to be helpful if anything ever went wrong. As for the general public…they didn’t need to know, and it was in Konoha’s best interest to keep the Kyuubi as a secret weapon. We already had enough reputation to keep most enemies at bay; flaunting too much strength would’ve tipped the scales, incited those enemies to team up and take us down…like what eventually happened to Uzushio.”

 

Kaiya nodded slowly. It made sense; one of the unwritten rules of their world was that you never showed your entire hand except in dire circumstances. That was true for individual ninja and Hidden Villages alike. “But…you said there are other ‘Jinchuriki.’ How is that?”

 

Jiraiya tipped his sake cup back and forth, considering. “It’s one of those paradoxes you find all too often in the ninja world: A strict secret that somehow, people know about anyway. It’s like…once Mito-sama succeeded in becoming a Jinchuriki, others followed suit, making their own. Copycats, I guess you could say. But so many were unstable that to this day they’re mainly used as deterrents, weapons of mutually assured destruction that keep the villages _just_ on the edge between peace and conflict.”

 

 _Unstable…deterrents…weapons_ …The words rang in Kaiya’s head. They made her think of Gaara, the desert boy whose own father treated him like nothing more than a volatile grenade to be let loose among enemies. These other villages…did they even consider their ‘Jinchuriki’ to be people? Or did they just see them as another tool? “Jiraiya…what happened to the ‘unstable’ Jinchuriki?”

 

She almost didn’t have to ask, almost didn’t want to hear the answer - because she already knew. She’d known back when Sandaime had used phrases like “Naruto was _brought_ to the Academy” and “has been _allowed_ to proceed to Genin.” She’d known when she first heard Gaara’s story.

 

Jiraiya must have known why she was asking, because he replied, “They don’t last. But that’s not going to happen with Naruto - I promise you that. He’s got too much of your mom in him to let him fail, and your dad made one hell of a seal.”

 

For her own sanity, Kaiya chose to believe him rather than let herself linger too long on the panic-inducing ‘what-ifs.’ His determination, at least, brought her some genuine comfort. “So…how did my mom end up as a ‘Jinchuriki?’”

 

“Simply put, it was because Mito-sama got old,” Jiraiya said. “Konoha’s only option for keeping hold of the Kyuubi was to create another Jinchuriki, and Uzushio had the perfect candidate: your mother.”

 

Of course Konoha wanted to keep the Kyuubi, Kaiya thought bitterly. Granted, she didn’t like the idea of the Kyuubi being free either, or under another a potential enemy’s control. With a grimace, she was forced to admit that there probably wasn’t another ‘good’ solution. “So they needed to keep the Kyuubi in another person. But why _her?_ Why my mom, and not…”

 

“Someone else?”

 

Heat spread up her neck. She’d basically just admitted to wishing that fate on someone else, as long as that ‘someone else’ wasn’t _her_ brother, _her_ mother. How was that fair?

 

“To be honest, I’m a little vague on the details there,” Jiraiya admitted, rubbing his chin. “Something about her chakra was special, even among the Uzumaki. Whatever it was, it made her ideal for imprisoning and neutralizing a chakra monster. From what I understand, as soon as they identified her as Mito-sama’s successor, they sent her on over to Konoha. She was probably five or six at the time.”

 

Kaiya blanched, her mouth going dry. “They did that to a _child?_ ”

 

Jiraiya shrugged. “Well, Tsunade could probably explain it better, but kids are just better at adapting to major changes in their chakra systems.”

 

‘Major change’ seemed a wildly mild way of putting it. Kushina was taken from her home, maybe even from her family, to a foreign country where she was made to carry a monster. She didn’t come to Konoha of her own volition; she was excommunicated by her home in order to become another village’s weapon. And she was only a child. Kaiya had been the same age when she lost everything, but at least that had been something out of most people’s control. Her mother’s fate, however, had been decided and carried out long before she could have any say in the matter. “That’s…”

 

“Something that had to be done,” Jiraiya finished for her, probably sensing her bewilderment and disgust. “Otherwise we’d have lost hold of the Kyuubi, and it could terrorize unsuspecting towns on its own - or be used by one of our enemies. Knowing Kushina, even if she’d had a choice, she’d have chosen to become the Jinchuriki if it meant protecting innocent people.”

 

A small, bitter voice in Kaiya’s head wondered if that was true - not whether her mother would’ve chosen so selflessly, but whether it would’ve been a fully informed decision. _Trust your leader…obey orders…_ these tenets were drilled into her from childhood. History claimed that their current system was far superior to what existed in the Warring States Era, or the “dark ages” before that. Shinobi kept the world in order; if they didn’t, chaos would reign.

 

Yet Kaiya now wondered just how true or right any of that was. For a moment, she tried to imagine a world where children weren’t used as sacrifices for the greater good, where innocent civilians weren’t assassinated for the sake of secrecy.

 

_A world without war…_

 

“How much of the world is ‘right,’ and how much of it is just what we’ve gotten used to?” she wondered aloud. “I mean…you’re saying that my mom would’ve chosen that, but look at the choice she was given. Was there really no third option?

 

“If there was, your father might not have had to seal the Kyuubi into Naruto,” Jiraiya pointed out.

 

Kaiya had to admit that he had a point, though she did so grudgingly. She stared moodily into her drink. “What happened that night?”

 

Jiraiya set his cup down with an audible ‘clack,’ shaking his head with an expression of age-old frustration. “No one knows - and what’s truly maddening about it is that by all rights, everything should’ve been fine. We already knew the seal would be at its weakest during childbirth - natural redirection of chakra and all. But Kushina had you, and that was under far less ideal circumstances.”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“You were two months early,” Jiraiya said. “Totally unexpected. The Third War was already underway, ninja medics were needed on the field - including the designated midwife. Even Sandaime was away, trying to negotiate a treaty that went nowhere. As it so happened, I _was_ in the village at the time.” He shook his head again, this time with a bewildered quirk to his mouth. “Not something I’ll easily forget, let me tell you.”

 

Kaiya turned to him with narrowed eyes. “You were there when I was born?”

 

“I was there the whole time,” he confirmed. “Not alone, thank the gods and the Sage and all that is holy - a friend of Kushina’s was around who’d just had a baby herself, and the Anbu on duty to watch your mom found a trustworthy medic to actually deliver you. Surprisingly good one actually, especially for a civilian. I just monitored the seal, but I’ll be honest, I was mostly winging it.”

 

Imagining Jiraiya helping in any way to deliver a child was certainly unnerving. If anything, she could sooner see him doing anything to escape such a situation. That he’d helped in _her_ birth…it boggled her mind to the point that she didn’t know what to think or feel. She almost wanted to be angry with him again. He’d helped deliver her, and when she and her brother needed him, needed _some_ sort of caring adult in their lives, he stayed away!

 

Then something clicked in her head about what he said - something that stopped her anger cold and made her mouth go dry once more. “Wait - you said a friend of my mom’s was there? One who’d just had a baby?”

 

Jiraiya rubbed his chin in thought. “Ah, what was her name? Right! Hard to forget, really - it was an unlikely friendship. Dark-haired beauty, wife of the Uchiha clan’s head.”

 

“Uchiha Mikoto,” Kaiya supplied, the name falling from her lips before she could think better of it.

 

“Yeah, that was it!” Jiraiya arched a brow at her. “You remember her?”

 

She swallowed and shook her head slowly. “Not exactly…”

 

Her pulse pounded in her ears. Her face felt numb, and she had to remind herself to breathe. Just how much of her life had involved the Uchiha family?!

 

Jiraiya lifted a hand as if to touch her shoulder, then withdrew it. “You okay?”

 

“Yeah,” she lied, pushing back her bangs and forcing herself to focus on the present. She had to know more; maybe there’d be answers in the rest of his story. “Just…thinking. Keep going.”

 

He gave her a long, probing look before resuming. “Well…in the end, you were out, and your dad made it back in time to finish repairing the seal. There was a bit of a shitshow afterward, though. The Council was less than thrilled that a civilian medic and Mikoto-san were in on the Jinchuriki thing. The whole village might know about Naruto today, but back then, the Kyuubi’s status was kept strictly confidential. I argued that it was a need-to-know situation, your father backed that up, and I think Sandaime was just glad nothing had gone wrong.” His lip curled like he’d swallowed something exceedingly bitter. “Danzo was practically out for blood over it, though. He seemed less bothered about the civilian medic than about Mikoto-san being there.”

 

“Why?”

 

“Because she was an Uchiha,” Jiraiya said flatly. “There’s always been some bad blood concerning the Uchiha, even before Madara’s defection. But really, I think Danzo was more pissed off at the idea of her telling her husband, and by extension, the entire police force.”

 

Again, the only thing Kaiya could respond with was, “Why? I mean, I’d think if anyone could be trusted with village secrets, it’s the police.”

 

“And you’d be on one side of an age-old political debate,” Jiraiya drawled. “Because the Uchiha police force was created to basically be its own entity, independent even from the Hokage. That’s why they never held an office; it would’ve been a conflict of interests.”

 

Never held office? Was that true? Hikaru would know. It struck her as strange, though she couldn’t put her finger on why.

 

“So in theory,” Jiraiya continued, “the police force had the power to investigate _any_ issue, even ones concerning Anbu or the Council - not that it ever really came up. I think people like Danzo, who value secrecy above everything else, resented that, since it meant they could make such secrets public if they wanted. He and his Foundation tried more than once to disband the police force, while folk like your dad actually wanted to expand it, opening it up to people outside the Uchiha clan. Ultimately, it was a question of secrecy versus transparency. I guess you could say the Foundation won, since there hasn’t been a police force since the massacre.”

 

Kaiya’s brow furrowed at this. She hadn’t thought about it much, but Jiraiya was right: the police force was never reinstated after the massacre. In Konoha, civilian crimes and misdemeanors were dealt with through the Hokage’s office, often in the form of low-level missions. If a Shinobi was suspect, Anbu took over. That meant _all_ affairs in Konoha, Shinobi and civilian alike, were under the watchful eye of the Hokage and the Council.

 

But who watched them, now that the police force was gone?

 

“Of course,” Jiraiya added darkly, “the Kyuubi attack didn’t help their case, either.”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“Two things happened that night that damaged the Uchiha’s reputation,” Jiraiya said. “One: They ignored a direct order from Sandaime to join the front lines against the Kyuubi. Instead, they stayed in the back, overseeing the civilian evacuation.”

 

Kaiya’s breath hitched. “ _What?”_

 

Jiraiya shook his head, his expression torn. “Some said that Fugaku-dono countered the order as a form of retaliation for not even being considered for the Hokage position. Utter nonsense, of course - as police chief, he _couldn’t_ have been nominated, even if he had the inclination. Again, conflict of interest. Besides, I never took him for the ‘petty’ sort. No official accusations were ever made though, and the Uchiha never offered any excuses. At least, not on record.”

 

He gave her a pointed look as he spoke, making her narrow her eyes. “What about off-record?”

 

“I went to talk to the head family myself after Sandaime told me all of this,” he said, leaning back and crossing his arms. “Caught Mikoto-san at home, but she was a changed woman from the last time we’d met. Cold. Tight-lipped, though maybe that shouldn’t have surprised me. I didn’t get much out of her, just that, and I quote, ‘The clan was following orders - just as they always had.’”

 

“But they didn’t follow orders that night,” Kaiya protested, her face scrunching in confusion.

 

“That’s what struck me as weird,” Jiraiya agreed. “But then her husband came home, and, well, you know how it is. You read the room, the room is hostile, you take your leave before things get ugly.”

 

That was true enough. Yuuma had taught her never to overstay her welcome with a mark, except in exceedingly rare circumstances. There had been no danger to Jiraiya or his ‘mark,’ she presumed, so it was better to leave before either side grew too heated.

 

“You said there were two things,” Kaiya brought up. “What was the other?”

 

He sighed and turned his cup around in his hand. “You.” Another pour, another swallow. “Naruto’s birth was planned down to the very last detail: the where, the when - they actually induced labor once she reached full term - and most importantly, the who. You were not to be near the birth site, of course. Too risky. The Council wanted to put you in a safe house with an Anbu detail; your parents had a different idea.”

 

He paused long enough for Kaiya to guess. “Wait - you’re saying...no…”

 

“Yes,” Jiraiya countered. “You were to stay with a particular family friend: the head family of the Uchiha clan. I think your parents knew you well enough to know that you’d never just sit still and behave for a bunch of boring, masked operatives. You were too excited about your baby brother, too impetuous, too much Minato and Kushina’s child: a dangerous mix of his brains and her impulsiveness. Anyway, they figured you’d be easier to guard if you were with someone you knew, someone with kids you could play with.“

 

Kaiya felt the world tilt a little around her - not the blackout-inducing vertigo of finding those photos, but a shift she was beginning to expect whenever the Uchiha were brought up. Somehow, it no longer shocked her that Itachi had been part of yet another key moment of her life. Instead, she just felt exhausted, tired of the omissions, of having bits of her own past in anyone’s head but her own.

 

“What happened to me that night?” Kaiya asked, her voice rough.

 

Jiraiya’s face darkened. “According to Sandaime...no one really knows. Only he, the Council, your parents, and the Uchiha head family knew of your whereabouts that night; Fugaku and Mikoto even took an oath not to tell any other Uchiha. Mikoto-san took responsibility herself, saying that in the chaos of the evacuation, she’d turned away for only a few seconds; when she turned back...you were gone.”

 

It made a tragic sort of sense. Kaiya had done some missing persons cases for civilians in her time, including a few concerning children. It was a common thread among the parents’ accounts: They’d only been gone for a minute, only turned away for a few seconds. It was long enough, though. It always was.

 

But - a suspicious part of her mind spoke up - Uchiha Mikoto, wife of the police chief, would have heard of those sort of accounts. How easy would it have been to claim such a thing in order to cover up some other nefarious truth?

 

“Seems...convenient,” Kaiya muttered, mostly to herself.

 

“I’m pretty sure that’s what most of the Council thought, too,” Jiraiya said. “It’s not something I want to believe, especially of a friend of Minato and Kushina’s. Nothing was ever proved, of course, but I can’t help but wonder if the whole creation of the Uchiha district happened because of the whole Kyuubi thing.”

 

“They weren’t always in their own district?”

 

“Oh no,” Jiraiya said. “Actually, of all the clans in Konoha, the Uchiha used to be the most integrated. I think Mikoto-san lived just a block or two away from your folks back then. Sure, they had their own particular customs and beliefs, as all the clans do, but they were spread out all over the village.”

 

This perplexed Kaiya almost as much as the revelation that she’d been with Itachi that night - or perhaps it was simply an easier topic to dwell on. She’d thought of the Uchiha clan as insular, proud, and that their isolation was their choice. Itachi and Shisui had been the exceptions, she figured; the few encounters she had with other members of their clan, especially at Shisui’s funeral, only made her more sure of this.

 

That the Uchiha hadn’t always been so isolated - no, that this wasn’t even something she’d known about was just strange. Did Hikaru and Gorou know anything about it? Hikaru hadn’t lived in the village before coming to the Academy, but he made a point of knowing its history and politics inside-out. Gorou’s family had been here for generations; maybe his mom could shed some light on this.

 

That would have to wait until later. For now, Kaiya forced her attention back to the more painful implication of Jiraiya’s account. Uchiha Mikoto had been another connection to her family, and she never even tried to reach out. Kakashi’s words from the night before returned to her then. _Sandaime and the Council told anyone who might recognize you not to approach you._

 

Her jaw tightened. “Did the Council keep Uchiha Mikoto from us? Or did she just…”

 

Jiraiya sighed. “I don’t know. Maybe.”

 

Kaiya wasn’t sure who she was more angry with: the Council for forbidding contact with the woman who’d been so important to her mother, or the woman herself for allowing it. Kaiya wouldn’t have given a crap about Council orders; if her friend’s kids were suddenly orphaned, she’d have looked after them, orders be damned.

 

Not for the first time, Kaiya was hit with the all-consuming need to remember what had happened that night. She couldn’t explain it, but it seemed imperative that she did, as though that one night held all the pieces of her incomplete puzzles. But how could she regain memories lost through physical trauma?

 

Or…her stomach gave a nauseating lurch. What if the trauma hadn’t been physical at all?

 

“Jiraiya,” she began, “what did Sandaime tell you about how I was found? Was I actually hurt?”

 

He gave her a confused look. “Well…yeah. You were out for a few days. It wasn’t until Sandaime was visiting the wounded personally that you were recognized, and he said you’d been hurt badly.”

 

Kaiya wasn’t convinced. Now that the idea had taken root, she simply couldn’t let it go: What if her memory loss hadn’t been from an injury, but from something else? Genjutsu, as she knew all too well, could put a person in a coma for weeks, _and_ it could affect free will. Perhaps it could also affect memory.

 

It was hard to imagine Itachi being able to pull something like that off at age five. But he _was_ a prodigy…or maybe, a dark part of her mind suggested, another Uchiha could have.

 

Kaiya pushed her drink aside, unable to stomach it with the bile rising in her throat. Her vision seemed to squeeze, darkening around the edges, her ears filling with the sound of her own breath. The pocket-dimension bar suddenly felt stifling, airless, closed in.

 

“I need to get out of here,” she croaked, staring straight ahead. “How do I get out of here?”

 

Jiraiya was visibly concerned, but for once, didn’t demand an explanation. Kaiya almost welcomed his guiding hand against her shoulder blade as he brought them out of the toad’s stomach; she took no notice of how exactly they reached the open air, just ran toward the sunlight when she saw it. Leaning against a tree trunk, she breathed the chilly air deeply and focused on the feel of bark against her back. Little by little, the panic ebbed away.

 

“You okay?” Jiraiya asked hesitantly, staying a few feet back to give her space.

 

“Yeah,” Kaiya lied, willing it to become true. “Just…lots to process.”

 

“Uh-huh,” he intoned flatly, crossing his arms over his broad chest. “Anything you need to tell me?”

 

“No,” she answered quickly - too quickly. She swallowed. “I…don’t want to talk about it. Not yet.”

 

Pushing away from the tree, Kaiya paced along its roots, raking her twitchy fingers through her hair. “We should get back to Naruto. Probably wondering where we got off to. Um…for now, can you not tell him about Uchiha Mikoto? It’s just…it complicates things, and they’re already going to be complicated, so…”

 

Jiraiya was watching her as if she was a cornered, feral animal that might flee at any moment. When he spoke, his tone was slow and placating. “All right…I’ll give him the short version. If he asks, I’ll say you were staying with family friends, but they died. Not a total lie.”

 

She nodded. “Thank you.”

 

* * *

 

True to Jiraiya’s word, time moved differently in the toad’s stomach; outside, only a few minutes had passed. When they returned to Naruto, he greeted them with a sour pout and averted eyes.

 

“You two done talkin’ about me behind my back?” he grumbled, scrunching up his lower lip. “Any chance I get a say in any o’this?”

 

Kaiya felt a pang of guilt. Only now did she realize that the whole time she and Jiraiya had discussed the training trip in front of him, they’d never actually included him in the conversation. They’d talked over him, about him, but never to him. He’d never been given the chance to choose whether he wanted any of this to happen. How many times had people decided things about her life without consulting her? And here she was doing the same to him. “Sorry, Otouto. If it helps, it wasn’t really to do with you. Jiraiya and I had some other things to talk about.”

 

Naruto still wouldn’t look at them, but his narrow shoulders slumped a bit. “I just think you all shoulda asked me before deciding on this whole training trip, you know. It’s _my_ life, an’ I’m not just a little kid anymore! Maybe I don’t wanna go away for three years with an old pervert. Didja think about that?”

 

“Seriously?!” Jiraiya exclaimed. “You should be honored to be my pupil! It’s not like I take on students lightly!”

 

“You only took me on ‘cause of my dad an’ ‘cause I got this thing in me,” Naruto shot back, his voice surprisingly soft despite the accusation in it. “That’s why you came around at all, isn’t it?”

 

Not long ago, Kaiya would have been almost relieved to hear Naruto realize this. Now she wondered if she’d poisoned his line of thinking with her own vitriol. Sitting at his bedside, she tried to catch Naruto’s gaze. “I know what I’ve said about Jiraiya before - and don’t get me wrong, he’s still an old pervert. But he’s the best possible teacher for you right now. He’s familiar with your seal, is powerful enough to help you regain control if something happens…” She cut herself off. These were the wrong arguments; Naruto wouldn’t care how many credentials someone had. “And he _does_ care.”

 

Naruto kept staring out the window, away from both of them. “But…if you aren’t gonna come with us…”

 

“I’d just wind up distracting you,” she insisted, taking his hand. “Believe me, I’m not exactly thrilled about it, but honestly? If I came along, you wouldn’t be able to focus on your training. Not entirely. And it’s not any fault of yours,” she added quickly. “You know me. I’d fight this old guy on any decision that could put you in the most remote vicinity of danger. Besides, the whole point of this is to learn to control this, right?” She pressed her fingertips to his abdomen, over the hidden seal. “Part of that’s going to involve actually losing control a little so you can learn how to reign it in. You wouldn’t be able to risk that if you were worried about me being too close by.”

 

Naruto’s open face showed every minute shift of opinion as he listened, gradually relaxing out of its pout. “It’s just…we just learned we’re family, you know? And it’s like you said: Sasuke’s also kinda family. We should be finding him together.”

 

“Kaiya’s got that covered,” Jiraiya said from behind her. “She’s good at what she does.”

 

Cheeks coloring, Kaiya sent a silent thank-you to the Sannin for his vote of confidence. “We both have our own projects, see? And I promise you: the minute I find Sasuke, I will send a message by toad.”

 

Finally, Naruto looked at her, his eyes widening. “Wait - you mean…you can use toads too?”

 

“That’s why Jiraiya needed to talk to me alone,” she said with a grin. “You’re looking at the newest member of the frog-summoning circle!”

 

A wide smile lit up Naruto’s face. “That’s awesome, ya know! Hey, hey, have you summoned Gamabunta yet? He’s this really big boss toad, an’ I got him once and he almost didn’t listen to me but-”

 

That was all it took to start bringing Naruto around. Any frustration or indignation he’d felt seemed to evaporate once knowing that they had this in common and could use it to stay in touch. The conversation quickly turned to other things - where Naruto hoped to go on their journey, how now he’d be the one bringing back souvenirs for her, the crazy-strong techniques he was sure to learn. Kaiya relaxed and let his excitement brighten the dark shadows of anxiety and doubt in her own mind, giving herself over to his enthusiasm and letting go of her own problems for a few hours.

 

* * *

 

The very next day, Kaiya went to Tsunade to propose her idea for rescuing Sasuke. She told the woman exactly what she said to Jiraiya, though she left out that her first attempt at reading the Toad Sage’s notes was...difficult.

 

“We need to act on this quickly,” Kaiya argued, holding the notebook up for emphasis. “The longer we wait, the staler this information gets. Orochimaru won’t follow the same patterns for long, right? He’s too smart for that.”

 

Tsunade sighed, leaning her cheek on an outstretched finger. “Let me stop you right there, because no matter what else you’re about to say, I can’t officially sanction this.”

 

Kaiya felt her pulse flutter and her stomach drop. “If it’s about resources, then just put Kakashi and me on it! We can do the tracking-“

 

“That’s not the problem,” Tsunade interrupted. “Honestly, I do believe you two could pull off that much, given enough time. But I don’t have time to give you, and that’s only the first issue.” She dropped her hand to the desk, straightening in her chair. “Maybe you’ve forgotten, but Orochimaru was pretty damn interested in you, too. There’s no way I could get away with sending you into his path on purpose, even with Kakashi there to protect you.”

 

Kaiya chafed at the idea of Kakashi being her ‘protector’ in this scenario - she’d thought of it more as a ‘partner’ situation - but as much as she wanted to argue, she couldn’t. She hadn’t been able to do much against the Snake Nin on her own the last time they’d met, and she wasn’t much better off now.

 

Tsunade’s face softened a little. “I’m sorry, Kaiya. I know how important this is to you, believe me. The fact is, Sasuke left voluntarily. I can keep his name out of the Bingo Book for as long as he doesn’t personally break any more laws, but as far as the Council is concerned, he’s now a Missing-Nin. We don’t do rescue missions for defectors, especially ones under the protection of someone like Orochimaru, and _especially_ not when such a mission would incur so much risk.”

 

Kaiya’s blood boiled. The Council...again, they were getting in her way, and for what?! “You’re the _Hokage._ You can overrule the Council, can’t you?”

 

“On some things, yes,” Tsunade said. “But it’s a balancing act. They’ll pull if I push, and I’ve already had to push on a few things - including getting them to agree to letting Jiraiya take Naruto away for training. The way they see it, since I’ve taken office, we’ve lost our last surviving Uchiha, and now we’ll be three years without a Jinchuriki. They will not risk any more valuable assets.”

 

Seething, Kaiya stopped herself from arguing further or saying what next came to her mind: If she couldn’t get official permission, she’d just do it on her own. Of course, she couldn’t say that to Tsunade. She’d be inviting the Hokage to put her under close watch and restriction.

 

Instead, she asked, “What would it take to change their minds?”

 

A satisfied glint entered Tsunade’s hazelnut eyes. “Now you’re asking the right questions. Well...if you could prove yourself capable and powerful enough to pull off this rescue, and if you could manage it with little to no risk or loss to the village...then, we could talk.”

 

Kaiya nodded her understanding. There _was_ time; as Jiraiya pointed out, they had three years before Orochimaru would be forced to change bodies again, and as she herself had said, the Snake Nin would want Sasuke to reach his full potential before taking him over.

 

She had three years - no, less than that - to form a plan that the Council couldn’t argue with, and to get strong enough to pull it off.

 

“Keep in mind,” Tsunade said as she turned to leave, “that while you’ve got a few years to work on this, you only have two weeks until Naruto leaves. Don’t waste it chasing after someone who doesn’t want to be found.”

 

Kaiya gave another small nod. She was right; Sasuke wasn’t the only person she cared about. Her baby brother was still here, at least for a couple weeks. As much as Kaiya trusted Jiraiya to return him safely, anything could happen in the next few years. While she couldn’t allow herself to consider just what ‘anything’ entailed, she knew she’d regret not spending as much time with him as possible.

 

Though...there was one thing she wanted to finish before Naruto left.

 

* * *

 

Over the next couple of weeks, Kaiya made a point of spending quality time with Naruto. She showed him the box of their parents’ things, wrapping him in the long red scarf and laughing when he tried on their father’s overcoat (which dragged on the floor behind him). She even brought out the photo album. True to form, Naruto barely blinked at the presence of an Uchiha boy, nor did he seem to realize that the baby in the last photo was Sasuke.

 

She decided not to tell him.

 

When she wasn’t with Naruto, Kaiya poured herself into her project, determined to finish it before he left. She took to setting up her barrier around her apartment whenever she sat down to work, wanting to be away from prying eyes.

 

The work and its deadline helped keep her mind off of things like Itachi and what he’d done, or Sasuke and what could be happening to him. She only attempted sleep when she was too mentally and physically exhausted to even lift a pencil anymore. For the time being, it seemed to work, letting her get a few hours here and there of uninterrupted rest.

 

It took almost the entirety of the remaining weeks to finish the formula, but at last, Kaiya did. By then, she knew its workings inside out and backwards, at least in theory. All that was missing now was the symbol - something to condense the formula and make it her own. She thought about something Jiraiya said when she’d gone to him for advice a few days before:

 

“Heh…Minato loved stupidly flashy names, so such a sentimental phrase made perfect sense! Went right along with his personal philosophy, too: _Sword of enduring love_ had nothing to do with kunai or actual weapons. He saw himself as the sword, that he was a servant, a tool for his enduring love of the village and of the people in it. He believed that love fueled the Will of Fire, that it was what sustained him when all else fell. It was his anchor.”

 

Sentimental, a bit sweet, and more revealing of her father’s character than almost anything else she’d learned so far. But it wasn’t her style.

 

Kaiya had never been one for giving her techniques flashy names. She thought of herself as more a pragmatist than a poet, and rarely bothered giving her jutsu names at all. Her barrier was just that - her barrier. Pretty much all of the named techniques she used were created by other people, and even when she put her own touches on them, she kept their old monikers.

 

So in what way could she make Hiraishin her own?

 

She was an Uzumaki. Perhaps some swirling pattern, then…but how much did she really identify with the nearly-extinct clan? So far, what she’d seen of them at the Temple made her feel _more_ removed from them, not less. She knew little of their motivations or principles, just that they were great Fuinjutsu masters, feared by many, and that her mother came from their village. She identified with the name more as a connection with Naruto than as a point of pride.

 

 _Nin ai no ken…_ Her father had chosen that phrase because it meant something to him. It _was_ him. Nidaime, too, had used a symbol that he connected too: something similar to his clan’s crest, his first loyalty before Konoha was formed. Both men had believed in what their marks meant.

 

What did she believe in?

 

Barely a year ago, Kaiya would’ve said she believed in the village, in the Hokage and all that both stood for. Now the only thing she was certain of regarding Konoha was that it was a complex place layered with a mixture of lies and truths. She wasn’t sure what to believe, couldn’t imagine herself taking anything at face value anymore. Every supposed ‘truth’ was now a knot to be untangled, often releasing a dozen other ‘truths’ that had to be dislodged and examined. Meanwhile, the truths she actually _wanted_ to find buried themselves deeper.

 

“Untangling a freakin’ mess,” she muttered to her empty apartment. “Story of my life…”

 

Actually…Kaiya put her pen to paper and sketched out a kanji character, one that had several synonymous meanings: _Untangle…unravel…release…_

 

It was a funny thing: growing up, she’d only ever spelled her first name phonetically in hiragana. Kanji was for people with families and histories, whose names were supposed to mean something; some still believed that a name was prophetic and decided a person’s fate. As an orphan with no memory or known family, Kaiya’s name had no meaning. It was just a collection of sounds that she somehow recognized as her own, so she was taught to spell it as such. She did write her false surname, Fuumaki, in kanji, wanting to believe she once meant something to somebody,

 

When she found the file with Namikaze Kaiya’s death certificate, she also found how her parents had written her name. Two kanji characters, two parts of a strange phrase: _kai_ , to release, unseal, or unravel; and _ya_ , night.

 

Perhaps there was some truth to names being prophetic after all.

 

Maybe she wasn’t sure what she believed in anymore, but she did have a purpose, a path. She’d been taught to see through guises, to break codes and open locks; now she’d use those same skills to find her way through the dark, to light up the shadows and expose what hid there.

 

She would do as her name commanded.

 

Kaiya took out a brush, ink, and blank tag. Into every stroke, she embedded her purpose. This would be one of her tools on that path. She didn’t try to be neat in her calligraphy; life wasn’t ‘neat,’ and she was certain there would be plenty of tangles ahead of her. Let the symbol reflect that, and let that reality be a grounding point. Into the symbol she also poured her love, for in that way, she was like her father: love was her anchor, her beacon in the night.

 

_I never saw him so terrified as when he held you for the first time…_

 

Love had created her, and love - along with every fear and anxiety that came with it - gave her focus, meaning, and purpose. It was the reason she fought, the reason she worked, the reason for mastering this jutsu at all.

 

Lifting the brush from the tag felt like lifting herself from a trance. She was calm, completely certain in her choice of symbol and that it had taken the imprint of her essence the way she’d intended. It was ready…now she had to use it.

 

Kaiya decided to try it right where she was, though she let her barrier down first in case it interfered with the teleportation jutsu. She’d have preferred to try this out in an open field, where there was more room for error and fewer walls to worry about, but she didn’t want to risk being seen. Until she was ready to use this is combat, she wanted to keep it under wraps, an ace up her sleeve.

 

Setting the tag on the inside of her door, Kaiya walked a few paces back and closed her eyes. She pictured the kanji on the tag, let it overtake her consciousness like she would any seal. She felt her chakra light up within the ink, a beacon in the dark that only she could sense.

 

Everything was clear. Her chakra flowed cleanly throughout her body, in and out of her tenketsu points to join minutely with the world around her, and she knew - she understood - that there was no true barrier between her body and that world. Everything was just a collection of atoms held together by some cosmic energy…so what was the difference between her standing in this spot, and her being at the target?

 

Purpose.

 

She was ready, her physical and spiritual energy perfectly in sync and bound by that single purpose: _be at the target._ In her mind, she saw the Hiraishin formula in its entirety, every intricacy mapped, every symbol calling out to her. She poured her entire awareness into it until it became the only thing she knew - and she _squeezed._ Energy, matter, body, mind, chakra - it all came together in the split-second, and she was spinning, her atoms coming apart and reforming -

 

And then it was over. Kaiya stumbled, dizzy and nauseous, hand braced against the slightly uneven surface of painted wood. Once she could open her eyes without succumbing to vertigo, she peeked out through her lashes.

 

She was at her door.

 

Her lips stretched into a bewildered smile; she laughed, unable to believe her own eyes, yet the proof was staring right at her! Looking across the room and seeing the spot where she’d just been standing only confirmed what she already knew.

 

She did it.

 

_SHE DID IT!_

 

Kaiya tore the tag off the door and hurried back to her table. There was still much to do. She had to internalize her symbol and learn to create it at will with just her chakra. She had a _lot_ of training to do to get rid of the vertigo effect, enact the jutsu faster, and eventually use it in motion. Then there were all the things Yondaime - her father had been able to do with it.

 

And that would be just the beginning.

 

But it worked - that was the important part. For now, there was only one thing she absolutely had to do.

 

* * *

 

The morning of Naruto’s departure came much too quickly for Kaiya’s liking, though she supposed she’d never be truly ready for it. It was cold, a low mist hanging a foot off the ground and swallowing the gray light of dawn. The faint sound of crows was the only sign of wildlife; this time of the year, they tended to be the most visible members of nature, unafraid of being out in the open while other animals sought shelter from the weather.

 

Kaiya walked with Naruto through Konoha’s empty streets, every few minutes checking to make sure he had everything he needed.

 

“At least four days’ worth of clothes? Including socks and underwear?”

 

“Yep.”

 

“All your weapons packs?”

 

“Got ‘em.”

 

“How about rope? You’d be surprised how useful it is.”

 

“I’ve got it, Nee-chan! ‘Sides, Pervy Sage is loaded. If I forgot anything, we can just pick it up on the road, right?”

 

“But maybe not right away. Toothbrush?”

 

A long sigh, then a faltered step. “Um…”

 

By the time they got to Konoha’s main gate, a small crowd had formed. Kaiya spotted Jiraiya easily, his large, hulking form towering over almost everyone else. Also there, one hand on her hip, the other stifling a yawn, was Tsunade, flanked by Shizune and Tonton. The blonde woman looked like she’d much rather still be in bed, her paler-than-usual face suggesting that she and Jiraiya must have shared a few drinks the night before.

 

To Kaiya’s surprise, there were two other figures in the group. Challenging Jiraiya’s height was none other than Gorou; Hikaru stood with crossed arms next to him. She’d told them about Naruto’s upcoming departure, but hadn’t asked or expected them to come themselves.

 

Gorou started teasing Naruto as soon as they came into view; soon they were engaged in a very serious battle wherein Gorou tackled Naruto to the ground and Naruto tried desperately to escape being tickled to death. Kaiya stepped around them to stand by Hikaru.

 

“You came,” she muttered, genuinely surprised.

 

“Of course we did.” Hikaru glanced sideways at her. “Are you all right?”

 

Kaiya had been determined not to break down when Naruto left; she wanted to send him off with smiles, not tears. But having her teammates here, knowing that they knew how hard this was for her, knowing that she wouldn’t have to put on a face for them…it was almost too much. She managed a nod. “I will be.”

 

“’Bout time you got here,” Tsunade grumbled as Gorou graciously allowed Naruto to escape his normally inescapable headlock. “Kakashi’s not rubbing off on you two, is he?”

 

“I’m not _always_ late,” insisted the low tenor of the silver-haired man, who stepped out from behind one of the gate’s doors.

 

“Yes you are,” chorused Kaiya with most of the others.

 

Kakashi’s mock-offended stance brought a small smile to Kaiya’s face. She hadn’t seen much of him in the past couple weeks. He caught her eye and nodded. They had much to discuss, and they soon would; she trusted him for that.

 

“It’s time,” Jiraiya announced. “We got a lotta ground to cover today.”

 

Kaiya went to Naruto, brushing some dirt off his jacket.

 

“I have something for you,” she told him. “Something to go with that necklace you won...” Kaiya pulled from her pocket a small, frog-shaped pendant made from polished jade. “A little good-luck charm from your big sister.”

 

Naruto turned the frog around in his fingers, pausing when he found what looked like an old-style kanji character emblazoned on the frog’s stomach. “Huh? What’s this say?”

 

Kaiya blanched as if she’d forgotten the symbol was there. “Oh - my attempt at personalizing it. I misjudged how big I was writing.”

 

“I dunno,” he said, a smile stretching across his face. “I think it looks pretty cool.”

 

He swiftly strung the charm onto the necklace, letting it drop against his chest next to the pendant. Then he threw his arms around her neck. “I’m gonna miss you, Nee-chan.”

 

“And I, you, Otouto,” she whispered, squeezing him back with equal ferocity. They held each other for what felt like an eternity, but when the time came to separate, eternity was far too short.

 

“I’ll keep an eye on him,” Jiraiya promised with a nod.

 

“Thank you,” Kaiya said, returning the gesture. She smiled at Naruto, her hands still on his shoulders. “Don’t give him _too_ hard a time, ‘kay? And learn everything you possibly can!”

 

Naruto gave her a grinning salute. “Got it! You won’t even recognize me when I get back!”

 

Kaiya ruffled his hair as she stood up, secretly hoping that wouldn’t be the case at all. She didn’t want him to change, not really - or at least, not in any fundamental way. Get stronger, yes; smarter…hopefully. But she hoped that when he returned, he’d still be Naruto. “Well, I’ll still be here, same old, same old - though I plan to have a few new tricks up my sleeve, too!” She winked.

 

They didn’t say goodbye, or farewell, or even ‘see you later.’ Neither of them considered themselves good at such scenes, and, Kaiya supposed, neither of them ever wanted to be. Naruto did wave at her as he and Jiraiya started down the path away from the village; she was glad that he only looked back once before disappearing into the misty forest. Any more than that, and she might have lost her composure and run after them.

 

Gorou put an arm around her shoulders, letting her lean against him as she continued to stare out after the two had disappeared from view. Hikaru remained by her other side, a quiet sentry assuring her with his presence. Kaiya stayed with them a moment, her melancholy thinning thanks to their tacit support.

 

Behind them, Tsunade headed back into the village with Shizune and Tonton in tow, the blonde woman complaining that Shizune wouldn’t let her just go back to sleep at this point. Only when Kaiya and her teammates turned around did she see that Kakashi had also stayed, leaning silently against the gate’s wall. Gorou gave her shoulder a squeeze before he and Hikaru excused themselves, leaving them alone.

 

Kaiya went to Kakashi, not sure what to say, but wanting to talk to him regardless. “So…”

 

“So,” he echoed.

 

“Will you try taking on another team now?” Kaiya asked after a few seconds.

 

“Nah,” Kakashi said with a sigh. “At least, not if I can get away with it. Plenty of work to be done for the village right now.”

 

“Uh-huh.” She nudged him in the side with her elbow. “You’re just hoping for more reading time.”

 

“Nothing wrong with enjoying a hobby.” He lowered his voice. “By the way…that thing you gave Naruto: that mark wasn’t a mistake, was it?”

 

Kaiya couldn’t help it: she let a sly grin cross her mouth. “Nope. Won’t be much use yet, but I’m working on it.”

 

“So you figured it out?”

 

“I know, it’s about time I did,” she sighed. “I have the basics down, enough to say that yes, it works for me.”

 

Kakashi’s visible eye crinkled in a smile that, although barely visible through the fabric of his mask, chased away the morning’s chill. “I knew you would get it.”

 

Kaiya felt the heat of pride and something more tender and shy blossom behind her ribs. The warm feeling intensified as he shifted a little closer, and she had the sudden urge to lean against him now. It was just the cold weather, she reasoned to herself even as a faint blush rose up her neck. She was just chilly.

 

The warmth faded a bit as the weight of everything yet to come returned to her shoulders. While she recognized Tsunade’s wisdom in waiting to pursue Sasuke, she still got anxious every time she thought about it. It wasn’t just her fear that the intel wouldn’t be useful for long; each day was another chance for Orochimaru to do kamis-knew-what to Sasuke. Kaiya hadn’t let herself think too much about this before - it sent her mind to suspicions that would drive her mad with panic and despair for the Uchiha boy - but now the thoughts crept into her consciousness: Orochimaru’s predatory gaze focused on Sasuke, the Snake Nin grooming and molding him into his perfect vessel…Sasuke losing all semblance of himself in the process, down to the last bit of fierce love that she knew still burned within him.

 

“Thinking about Sasuke?”

 

Kaiya jolted a little at Kakashi’s voice. “Yeah.”

 

“Me too,” he murmured, his visible eye still watching the path Naruto and Jiraiya had taken.

 

“We need to get stronger,” Kaiya declared, squaring her shoulders in an attempt to chase away her own worries. “So we’ll be ready when we find him.”

 

Ready to deal with Orochimaru, if necessary. Ready to give Sasuke a reason to come back.

 

Kakashi nodded, then glanced back into the village. “Agreed. First, though…breakfast?”

 

Kaiya blinked. She’d almost forgotten that it was still early morning, and that she hadn’t eaten since…sometime. Or slept much. Breakfast seemed like such a normal occasion, so mundane compared to everything else going on. “Is anywhere even open yet?”

 

“Doesn’t have to be out anywhere. I’m a decent cook.” Just as her blush started to return - he was inviting her over? For a meal? Just the two of them? - he added, “Lots of ears out here.”

 

Oh. This was about having privacy so they could talk. Kaiya tried to push away the sudden rush of disappointment she felt, then tried to pretend she hadn’t felt it at all. Why should she be disappointed? There was nothing to feel bad about. Besides, he had a point. Privacy, even within the village - no, _especially_ in the village - felt difficult to come by these days. Danzo’s motives were still unclear. He wanted access to Uzushio, but why? How far was he willing to go to get it? Was he still watching her?

 

At least with Kakashi, she felt safe. Despite his lies of omission, she found herself believing in his sincerity with ease. He now knew things about her that even Hikaru and Gorou didn’t, and not once had he ever judged her for poor decisions. Somehow, she trusted that he would help her however he could - not ‘no questions asked,’ but certainly without strings attached. She almost felt bad, like she _should_ be reciprocating in some way, though she wasn’t sure how to.

 

For now, though…breakfast sounded nice.

 

“Okay,” Kaiya said softly. “Lead the way.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so ends the first major arc of the story! Here’s a little bit of what to look forward to in the next one:
> 
> -Sneaky sleuthing!  
> -More revelations!  
> -New lore!  
> -Kaiya makes some new friends from the canon-verse!  
> -Romance! (As in actual, present-day, not-just-stolen-glances-and-pining-thoughts romance with actual, live kissing. Likely more, too ;) Gotta earn this rating somehow, amiright?)  
> -Itachi returns, also in present-day!
> 
> ...and omigod SO much more!
> 
> What are your predictions/hopes? What do you think of the story so far? Do you have a favorite character or portrayal? Are there any characters you think I could be presenting better somehow? Share your thoughts in the comments!
> 
> THANK YOU ALL for reading, favorite-ing, following, and reviewing! Seriously, feedback is part of what keeps me going when I hit a slump or a dead end, and I just love hearing from you. I’ve made actual friends since starting this crazy journey, and I hope to make some more along the way. And as always…
> 
> Stay Tuned!


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